Law & Order: VERY Special Victims Unit
by alphashley14
Summary: Zelena raped Rumpelstiltskin repeatedly during that horrible year. When Emma Swan figures that out, she decides to help... by calling in her old friends from SVU. How will Benson, Stabler, Tutuola, Cragen, Munch, Huang, and Cabot react when they arrive in a town where it seems just about everyone... including their victim and offender... are MAGIC! ADOPTED BY Snapegirlkmf!
1. Prologue

**LAW & **

**ORDER**

 **SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT**

 **In the Criminal Justice System,**

 **Sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.**

 **In New York City,**

 **The dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies**

 **are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.**

 **These are their stories.**

Emma Swan first noticed it at the party to celebrate the defeat of Zelena.

Mr. Gold sat in the back corner of Granny's as silent as the grave. Just staring straight ahead like he wasn't really all there. This was before Emma came to the conclusion she was currently contemplating, so she thought it was just him recovering from losing Neal. She missed him, too.

Emma walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. That's when it happened. Rumpelstiltskin jumped out of his skin and jerked his body away from her with a small terrified yelp. Staring at her with his brown eyes. Those eyes. Something in them just wasn't right. The look on his face could only be described as pure terror.

As soon as he recognized it was her, Mr. Gold calmed down. He placed a hand on his chest and sighed. "I'm sorry Ms. Swan, you startled me."

 _Startled?_ Rumpelstiltskin did not get _startled._ Emma knew him well enough to know that. He was lying through his teeth. Her superpower told her so. But Emma supposed it was best to worry about it after the party, so she replied, "Sorry Gold, you just looked a little… off. Are you okay?" She asked.

"Off? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, dearie." He said, with his Scottish accent. But something still wasn't right. He spoke in a flustered tone, like he was trying to calm himself down.

The next event that led to Emma's suspicions happened the very next day, when she was on a walk with Hook and they happened to pass by one of Storybrooke's few bars, The Rabbit Hole. Emma happened to glance over and was surprised to see Mr. Gold through one of the windows. Based on the empty shot glasses, he'd been drinking. _A lot._

But what made it her business? She ignored it and continued on her walk.

But she noticed other things as the week went on. She visited him at his shop once, and they went out for coffee. He was her son's Grandfather after all, and one of her only two ties to Neal she had left. She noticed it when he reached over to pick up his cup. Precise, deliberate cuts on his wrists, over faded bruises.

Did she ask about it? Of course. "Gold."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

" _That._ " She grabbed his arm and forced his sleeve down, showing a fading hand-shaped bruise around his wrist and precise cuts along his forearm, an obvious sign of self-harm.

He jerked his arm back. "It's _nothing_." He insisted. "It is _not_ nothing, Gold. You are cutting yourself. And where the hell did those bruises come from?"

"It was Belle." He said. He answered too quickly and her superpower was calling BS. "You're lying." Then a terrible thought came into her head. "Was that… _Zelena_?" She asked quietly. "No." He answered too quickly and her superpower was calling BS.

"Don't be ridiculous… I have to go."

" _Gold_. You have to talk to someone, _anyone_."

"No, there is nothing to talk about. I have to go."

" _Gold._ I worked with New York's Special Victim's Unit for four years. I know-"

"Swan, you are pushing it. I don't know where you're getting that from. I _was not_ … I didn't..."

He trailed off then angrily grabbed his coat and disappeared in a swirl of red-violet smoke. Emma had enough experience from her SVU days to know a rape victim when she saw one. And Gold wasn't just an ally, he was the grandfather of her son and the father of the man she had loved. He was an asshole sometimes, but he was _family_. Which was exactly why Emma Swan felt perfectly justified in what she was about to do.

Emma went into the hallway in front of the bathroom for privacy and got out her phone. She went through her contacts to dial a number she hadn't called in years. The number rang several times, and finally she heard a click as the person at the other end of the line picked it up.

"Hey Olivia, it's your old friend, Emma Swan. Look, I know this is short notice, but I've got this friend who I think might need some of your… expertise. I'm calling in a favor."

 **Cue Law and Order music…**

* * *

 _Hey guys, I may or may not continue this story, but it really depends on what you guys think. If just **one** person tells me they want to hear more, I'll post more. Review, review, review! _

_-alphashley14_


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to Storybrooke

_Well guys, I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. A special thanks to Skyqueen and ajw1121 for reviewing. If not for you, this chapter would never have been posted. Congratulations. Enjoy!_

 _-alphashley14_

* * *

 **Olivia Benson**

 _"If this was for anyone but Emma Swan, we wouldn't be here."_ Cragen complained over the walkie… yet again. At their old friend's request, they were all piled in their personal vehicles (except for Dr. Warner, who was stuck driving the forensics van) driving to a town that wouldn't show up on any maps or GPS: Storybrooke, Maine. Emma had sent them the directions though, and she wasn't one to play any pranks.

 _'They'_ , of course, being herself, Detective Olivia Benson, her partner, Detective Elliot Stabler, Detective Fin Tutuola, Detective John Munch, Captain Donald Cragen, Dr. George Huang, Dr. Melinda Warner, and Alexandra Cabot, the Assistant District Attorney.

"Cragen, you think I like spending two weeks worth of vacation days on Emma? No. But we all owe her our asses, so here we are." Detective Olivia Benson said over the walkie. _"Get in line, Olivia. Emma had better have a good explanation for this." Stabler said._

 _"I told you guys everything I know. A friend of Emma's, a_ 'Mr. Robert Gold', _was recently repeatedly raped and this town is so small, all the law enforcement there is is two sheriffs who have no experience with this kind of crime. Plus this Mr. Gold is the only lawyer in town, that's why Cabot's here."_

 _"Hey!"_ Cabot said through the mic, pretending to be offended. Olivia laughed, and could picture the others doing the same. _"Hey, while we're all bein' humorous, is the name of this town legit 'Storybrooke?'"_ Tutuola asked through the microphone. "That's what it sounded like over the phone, Fin. It's also what that sign says coming up." Olivia said.

Sure enough, just then, Olivia's car passed a big wooden sign that read _'Welcome to Storybrooke'_. Waiting for them on the other side of the street, was a very familiar looking yellow VW bug. And there was a very familiar young woman in a very familiar looking red leather jacket sitting in the driver's seat.

Olivia stopped her car and got out. Emma Swan did the same. "Olivia! It's been so long! You look great! You cut your hair short!" Emma said, embracing her. "Emma. It's been too long. And I'm not the only one who looks good!"

The other cars had stopped and everyone else was getting out. "Elliot! Fin! Munch! Cragen! Huang! Warner! Cabot! It's been too long!"

"We've missed you down at SVU, Swan." Cabot said. "Ain't been the same withoucha." Fin said. "Nice to see ya still in one piece, Emma." Munch said. "Have you been doing better with your problems, Emma?" Dr. Huang asked.

"Yes, actually, I have. Remember the son I mentioned I had?" "Yeah." "Well, he tracked me down two years ago, and now I live here in Storybrooke with the rest of my family." "Oh my God Emma, I'm so happy for you!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Yeah, his name's Henry. It's a long and crazy story you're not going to believe. Get in the cars, I'll lead you into town."

As they drove into town, people walked out into the street to stare, looking at them like they were aliens from Mars.

Emma led them to a quaint apartment building near the center of town, then took them upstairs two stories to a large apartment. The walls were white stone and all the curtains were green. There were several people inside, two men, two women, a boy, and one of the women was holding a baby.

One of the women was very beautiful, she had very short black hair, had obviously been pregnant recently, and had a tiny baby boy in her arms. "Emma? Who are these people?" She asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Uh, friends." Emma said nervously. "Well that much is obvious, but why are they here?" One of the men asked. He had black hair, he was dressed in leather, and Olivia noticed he had a hook for a hand.

"Uh, okay, Mom, Dad, Hook, Henry, these are some old friends of mine, the detectives and forensics experts of one of New York's Special Victims Unit. Captain Donald Cragen, Detectives Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, Fin Tutuola, and John Munch. Dr. George Huang, psychiatrist, and Dr. Melinda Warner, forensics expert. Then last but not least, Alexandra Cabot, assistant district attorney." Emma said, pointing to each of them as she spoke. "I worked with them for a while back when I lived in New York."

"Special Victims? They deal with rapes and child murders and stuff, right?" Henry asked. "That's right. We handle any sexually based offense." Fin said. "You must be Henry, right?" Olivia asked.

Henry nodded. "Yes. How do you know my name?" "Emma told us." Elliot said. "That's a good looking kid, Swan." Cragen said.

"That doesn't answer the question as to why they're here. Emma, has someone been raped?" The second man asked. He was very handsome, with brown hair and blue eyes.

"You didn't tell anyone we were coming?" Munch asked. "No, because no one would have let me call you if I did." Emma said.

"Swan, does our victim even know we're coming?" Cabot asked. Emma got a look on her face. "Uh… no." Emma said nervously.

"Then why are we even here? If a rape isn't reported, we can't do anything about it!" Cabot said angrily. "Yeah, Emma. You should know this. We can't-" Fin started, but Emma interrupted him.

"BECAUSE WE CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT THAT WITCH DID TO HIM, HE IS THE FATHER OF THE MAN I LOVED, AND THE GRANDFATHER OF MY ONLY SON!" Emma screamed.

The room went silent. Emma sat down at the bar and buried her face in her hands.

"Emma…" The black haired woman said quietly. "Did… Gold tell you… Zelena-" "He didn't have to. I've been hanging out with him more. He shows multiple symptoms of PTSD. Never turns his back to the room. He's been drinking, cutting himself, he is terrified of women, he's got hand-shaped bruises on his arms, and when I asked him if Zelena gave that to him when she- he denied it and my superpower said he was lying! _Yes_! Zelena. _raped._ Gold!"

"Superpower? Witch? Mom and Dad? Emma, _what is going on_?" Olivia asked. This was all getting very weird.

Henry started digging through his bag and brought out a large book that said 'ONCE UPON A TIME' on it in big bold letters. He handed it to Emma. Emma opened it to the first page, turned it towards them, and asked a very strange question: "Do you believe in magic?"

* * *

 _Ah, the end of another chapter. Sorry it's so short. I promise the next one will be longer. I'm just trying to get into the plot. PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS! And another big thank you to Skyqueen and ajjw1121 for reviewing! This chapter wiouldn't have been posted without you. And sorry, but there will be nothing romantic between Regina and Olivia in this. I'm sticking the ships to what's in the show(s). Again, REVIEW! See ya!_

 _-alphashley14_


	3. Chapter 3: You did WHAT?

_Hello, my readers! I have enjoyed writing this chapter more than the others as I get deeper into the plot. Also, let's give a warm welcome and a big thank you to ShadowDragonPhoenix, Snapegirlkmf, and RosettaQueen20 for reading and reviewing! Love the feedback guys, LOVE IT! I hope you enjoy my latest installment of Law and Order: VERY Special Victims Unit!_

* * *

 **Emma Swan**

As expected, there was a long silence after 'storytime' was over. The SVU team looked around at everyone slack-jawed. Huang, who was yet to say anything, was the first to speak. "You're all suffering from schizophrenia… about the same thing. Apparently, this whole town is. It's unlikely… but the only possible explanation."

In response to that, Regina made a ball of fire appear in her hand. The entire SVU team jumped back and the armed officers placed their hands on their guns, the looks on their faces clearly saying _'WTF?!'_ "Explain this, _Doctor_." Regina said menacingly. "Regina, cool it. Remember how _I_ first responded to magic?" Emma asked. Regina extinguished the fireball and the SVU team moved their hands away from their holsters.

"I take it back, magic's real." Huang said fearfully.

"So, just let me get this straight," Elliot said. "This town doesn't exist because it was created by a curse made by Rumpelstiltskin, the 'Dark One', who in this world is known as 'Mr. Gold', our victim, so he could find his son who was sent here on accident like three hundred years ago. The curse also brought a bunch of fairy tale characters here. All of you and the rest of the people in this town."

He pointed to people as he listed them off. "Snow White, Prince Charming, The Evil Queen, _Captain Hook_ , and apparently you, Emma, our friend we've known for years, is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, _The Savior_ , and _your son_ , Henry, is also the son of Rumpelstiltskin's son, making him the grandson of Snow white, Prince Charming, _and_ Rumpelstiltskin."

"Yep." Emma said, popping the 'p'. "That pretty much covers it." Henry added. Cragen looked at his team. "Emma, is there anyplace myself and the squad can talk? _In private?_ " He asked. Emma shrugged. "The loft upstairs is as private as you're going to get in this flat." Emma said, pointing to the ladder.

"Yeah, you guys go up and talk. We need to have a little _family meeting_ ourselves." Charming said. Uh-oh, Dad did not look happy. Nor did anyone else but Henry, who was too young to understand the severity of the situation, and Neal, who was… a baby.

The SVU team went up the ladder, and Emma had to face her family, all of whom were looking at her with _that look_ with their arms crossed. Her father was the first to speak.

"Emma, how could you do this? You should have talked to us, _me_ , at the very least, before you called _people from here_ into town. Remember what happened last time?"

"Greg and Tamara are the reason the whole Peter Pan thing happened! And I'm getting a serious deja vu feeling. I was tortured, Henry was kidnapped, do I really have to go on?" Regina asked angrily.

" _This_ is exactly why I _didn't_ consult you guys! I _knew_ you were going to think about Greg and Tamara and immediately say no. You don't know these people, I _do_. I worked with them for over _four years_. And almost every member of that team is on it because situations like this hit close to home. Olivia, for example, is a rape baby. Her father was a rapist. Her mother, the victim. We protect our own. So does this family. The only way I saw to do just that, protect one of my own, was to call in some outside help." Emma said.

Immediately, she was bombarded with criticism from the adults.

"He doesn't even know!"

"You have no proof!"

"Emma, how could you?"

Then, one voice yelled above the others. " _ENOUGH!_ " Much to everyone's surprise, it was Henry. He'd stood up on a chair and everything, just to be heard.

" _We_ messed up, okay? Mister- _my Grandpa_ died so we could live. _Jesus_ did the same thing! _Jesus!_ Then, when Zelena tricked my Dad and Belle into bringing him back, leaving him insane, with the knowledge his son was eventually going to die, locked in a cage for an entire year with only a spinning wheel for entertainment, and trapped under the control of a _crazy woman_ with a creepy, obsessive crush on him who did who-knows-what to him. What did we do? We left him. _We left him._

"Belle was the only one who ever tried to get him back, and the only reason we helped her was because we didn't want _The Dark One_ on the Witch's side. Not Gold, _The Dark One._ He let his son _die,_ just so he could tell us who the Witch really was. He fought. Whether noticeable or not, _he fought for us._ And when my Mom beat Zelena, when it was all over, did anyone walk up to him and ask, _'Are you alright? Did she hurt you? Would you like to call Belle? Do you need a ride home? Would you like me to take you to a hospital?_ ' No. No one did. We left him. _Alone._ Again.

"My Mom did things a little bit outside our comfort zone, but I'm standing beside her in her decision. Because unlike what everyone but Belle has done so far, she _cared_. She took time out of her day, risking a lot to do what we should have done a while ago: Help Rumpelstiltskin. Because out of everyone hurting in this town for what Zelena did, Mr. Gold needs our love, support, and time more than anyone else does. I don't know if what my Mom says is true or not, but with SVU's help, we're going to find out. And if it is, I want her to be prosecuted for it. And when we win, I want her to _burn_ for what she did."

Everyone stared at Henry after that. Letting the horror and guilt sink in that every word he'd said was true. Emma was sure Henry must have inherited every single good trait from both her and Neal. How else had he possibly come out so great? After a few moments, Emma said, "Thanks, Henry." "Well said, kid." Stabler said, the SVU team had come back downstairs.

"After careful consideration, we have decided to take up this case." Cragen said. Emma sighed with relief. It would have been very bad if they had left.

"But on one condition." Amanda said. Uh-oh.

"We have to meet our victim." Olivia said. Emma knew that had been inevitable, but… she knew Gold was going to be absolutely _furious_ when he found out what she had done. And Emma was a bit scared of the Dark One's wrath. He'd done terrible things in the past out of rage or revenge, even with a clear mind, but now, as angry and confused and broken as she just _knew_ he was inside, what was he going to do to her when he found out she'd told his darkest secret? The one he'd never even intended for her to find out.

* * *

 **Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold**

It's always cloudy in Storybrooke, so today was about as clear as it got. Children laughed and played in cleanly cut front lawns, young couples walked hand in hand on the streets and beaches, and shops and restaurants bustled with activity. It's peaceful. There's no war. No threat to eliminate. No one's life in danger. For Storybrooke Maine, it's a perfect day.

For everyone but Rumpelstiltskin Robert Gold, that is. For him, at every turn, there's a reminder of last year. Last year when he'd woken up from death in a flurry of snow. Last year when _she_ had him under her control. Last year when _she_ laughed at him as he writhed and screeched in agony. Last year when the voices in his head just _wouldn't shut up_. Last year when _she_ wouldn't stop _touching_ him no matter how hard he begged. Last year… when his son had died.

Yes, _everything_ reminds him of last year. Last year ended two weeks ago.

He doesn't go to the shop as much as he used to anymore, instead he brings most of his work home. The shop reminds him of Bae. And Bae is dead.

He avoids the town square if he can, he tries to take alternate routes. The showdown happened in town square. And she turned him against his family there.

He avoids children if he can, but there's not much he can do about that. He envies their parents. Because his child was given to death by a witch with ginger hair.

He avoids the forest, but there's not much he can do about that either. Bae died there. And Zelena took him back to hell from there. What she'd done to him for escaping still haunted him.

He never goes to the farmhouse, for obvious reasons. She _touched_ him there… among other things. He had no reason to ever go back. And he liked it that way.

And though he feels guilt about it, he's been avoiding Belle, too. After what he knew he'd been forced to do, _to another woman_ , he felt so freaking _ashamed_ , he couldn't look her in the eye. He couldn't love on his wife, no matter how hard he tried. Because whenever he did, he was back in that farmhouse, or in the storm cellar, and Zelena was making him undress in front of her. Rumple shuddered.

And all of this, Rumple kept to himself. He told no one. If anyone found out, how tainted, how _filthy_ he was, what little he had left would disappear. Belle would leave him, the admiration would vanish from Henry's eyes, and he wouldn't be the respected villain-turned-hero anymore that the town thought he was. Zelena was right about that. He'd be the lame village coward again, only this time, with no Bae to love him. No Bae to comfort his Papa.

 _"What would your son say if he could see you? What would any of your precious little family say? Your little librarian, your grandson, your savior?" Zelena taunts in his ears, her hands inching further down his body. Rumple tries not to whimper._

Rumple shook the awful memory out of his head. God he was so messed up. So freaking _useless_. So _filthy_. He knew it wasn't healthy to keep it in, he was already cutting himself (the pain was the one thing he felt he could control anymore), but what choice did he have?

Precisely, he didn't have one. So, he held his silent tears and screams inside, and tried his best to live on. He cried sometimes, but only in one place. His 'sanctuary', he supposed. When it became too much to bear, he went down to the Storybrooke cemetery, in front of his son's grave, and cried his eyes out. He'd stare at the words, at the _name_ , _'BELOVED SON, NEAL CASSIDY'_ , and then start bawling all over again.

That first time he'd visited Bae's grave, when he'd paid his respects, the one thing keeping him from crying was Belle sitting in the car, watching. He couldn't cry in front of her, or she'd know. He couldn't cry in front of anyone but his dead son. He came there for comfort, but there were times that just being there among the graves reminded him of how alone he truly was.

 _His bad leg was one of her favorite targets. She'd come down to the cellar, force him into a convenient position, and kick his knee, listening to the sickening crack as it snapped. He'd scream. She'd laugh. She'd taunt him. "You can't even defend yourself. Look at you, you useless cripple. You're nothing more than the village coward with a pretty knife. Though I can see why you like it, I certainly do…" She'd fix his leg with magic and break it again. Then he'd scream, then she'd laugh, then she'd taunt him. Then she'd fix it. Break, scream, laugh, taunt, break, scream, laugh, taunt. For_ hours.

Another flashback. Those were happening more and more often, now. He could only pray each day that he never had one in front of someone. Whenever he had one, always in the long periods of time he was spending by himself, he'd do something he knew he shouldn't be doing.

He'd lock himself in the basement bathroom of his house, and cut himself. That was what got him caught. That was what Emma had seen. The cuts on his arm over the fading bruises Zelena had given him from the very last time she'd- he shuddered. He hated that word. He hadn't spoken it yet, said it aloud, even if it was only to himself, but he couldn't stop thinking it. That horrible _word._

 _'I was **raped**.'_

Rumple was walking back to his shop, deciding to pick up some work to do, and was very confused. A: There was a shiny white and blue NYPD police car parked in front of his shop. B: There were two people, obviously NYPD detectives standing in front of his front door, waiting. What was the New York Police Department doing in Storybrooke, Maine? Emma was with them. _She didn't._

"Emma, what the hell is going on?" Rumple asked. Emma didn't say anything. The woman she was with did. She had short brown hair, a rather serious yet attractive round face, and black eyes. She pulled out her badge and showed it to him. "Detective Olivia Benson, NYPD special victims unit. This is my partner, Detective Stabler. The Storybrooke Police Department received a unanimous tip about a rape that happened to the owner of this shop. NYPD's SVU was contacted because of the SPD's lack of experience in this field. Are you Mr. Gold?"

Rumple looked straight past them, right at Emma. With one of his five-star glares. "We don't have an SVU team or equipment here in Storybrooke, so I called in a few favors." Emma said quietly, not looking at him. Rumple exploded.

"You did _WHAT_?!"

"I was only looking into the benefit of Storybrooke's justice system. Zelena's trial is in a few days, I wanted to make sure we had _everything_."

Rumple shoved past the two detectives. "BULL! You've done it again! You've made my problems your own. And you brought _outsiders_ here."

"So you're ready to admit you _have_ a problem?" Emma asked, almost _hopefully_.

"Swan, you are pushing it. And I told you before, those bruises were Belle."

"My turn to call BS. If that was Belle, where did the obvious, recent signs of self-harm come from? And why is my superpower saying you're lying?"

"Swan, I swear-"

"Look Gold, if you want to throw a fireball at me, go ahead, I told them and the rest of the team about magic and demonstrated it. They know _everything_."

 _No they don't. Wait, the rest of the-_ "The rest of the team? How many people did you bring here, Emma?"

The male detective, Detective Stabler, interjected. "Eight. Myself and Olivia, Cragen, our squad leader, Tutuola and Munch, another pair of detectives, Dr. Huang, a psychiatrist, Dr. Warner, forensics expert, and Amanda Cabot, an attorney. Everyone necessary for a case. Now would ya just calm down? Emma only had your best interests at heart, _Rumpelstiltskin_."

 _"Rumpelstiltskin, I summon thee!" The dagger pulls him to his master. Zelena drags him into her bedroom with a sick grin on her face._

Rumple prayed the look on his face from the memory didn't give him away. He had to get out. He had to get away. _He had to get away._

 _His mind was jumbled most of the time, but in brief moments of sanity like this one, freedom was the one thing on his mind. He reached for the lock through the bars of his cage. 'Get out, get out'. The voices whisper. A simple application of strength, the lock snaps, he is free, free. Rumple giggles in delight. His magic comes back once he's out. Dark and lovely and_ powerful _. Her orders were_ 'Not to use magic other than to spin while in the cage' _. Now he wasn't in the cage. He used magic to break lock number two, the one locking the storm cellar, and runs out into the snow, straight into the forest as the voices get louder._

God, two flashbacks in less than a minute. He wasn't going to last much longer. He had to get away. Rumple made a motion with his hand and disappeared in a cloud of violet smoke. He re-appeared at the cemetery, there was a trashcan not too far off. _Bingo._

Rumple staggered over to the trashcan, grasped both sides of it, and threw up the few contents of his stomach into it. He hadn't been eating much, per preference and doctor recommendation (eating too much too quickly after starving for so long could make him sick), he hadn't been eating much. But he didn't remember eating any carrots recently. That was the only thing those little orange chunks could possibly be.

Once Rumple was done, he wiped the excess vomit off his chin and coughed. Then he turned around, turning to face his son's grave. He staggered over to it, and collapsed onto his knees. He took a few deep breaths to collect himself. God, he was so useless. So freaking _useless_. He couldn't even face Emma and a few cops without throwing up. Zelena was right. He was _nothing_. Just the crippled village coward who ran from the ogre wars and had limped ever since. The only thing he'd ever done right… was buried under about six feet of dirt.

"I'm sorry Bae. I'm so sorry I had to bother you and that you had to see that. And I'm sorry that I'm nothing but a coward and a cripple and you were cursed to be _my_ son, and then you died because of it. I'm such a coward. So useless. So freaking _useless_ …"

The next thing he knew, he was crying again. Leaning on his son's tombstone. He was sure Bae wouldn't mind.

Despite it all, Bae had died loving his Papa.

* * *

 **Elliot Stabler**

"Oh my God, he… he disappeared!" Elliot cried, staring at the spot where Mr. Gold had vanished in a cloud of violet smoke. "Yeah, I probably should have warned you about that. Us mages can do that, and it seems to be one of Gold's favorite tricks, aside from ripping out hearts and spinning straw into gold." Emma said.

"Well, magic or no, _that_ was a rape victim if I ever saw one." Olivia said. "I'm with Olivia. That level of denial isn't genuine." Elliot agreed. Emma sighed and leaned against the wall of the shop.

"God, that isn't _Gold_. I don't know what Zelena did to him, but she messed him up. He's definitely not himself. Call Huang. Oh, and meet me with him at Granny's. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah, we passed it on the way here. Why aren't you coming with us?" Olivia asked.

"I'm going to get a friend, his name's Archie. He's the town psychiatrist. He knows _a lot_ more about magic than Huang, he'll understand Gold's situation better. The only reason I wanted Huang here is because he's good at criminal profiling, for Zelena, and is more experienced with rape victims, for Gold, than Archie is. Plus a second opinion never hurts anything."

"Well, lay it on us. If everyone in this town is a fairy tale or freaking Disney character, who is 'Archie'?" Elliot asked.

"Jiminy Cricket."

" _Jiminy Cricket?_ " The two detectives asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but he's… ya know, human here. And he's got a dalmatian named Pongo." Emma said.

"Now you're just making that up." Elliott said. "Nope. Totally serious. I'm going by the house to get Huang. Then I'm going to pick up Archie. You two get to Granny's and wait. Tell her it's on me."

"Alright. See you, Emma." Olivia said. Emma got into her bug and the two detectives got into their police car. It was sure to be an interesting lunch.

* * *

 **Fin Tutuola**

Fin had seen a lot of bad crime scenes in his days as an SVU officer, but this place definitely ranked at the top ten or twenty most disgusting when it came to cases like this one.

"God, could you imagine what it must have been like to live here for as long as he had to?" He heard Munch wonder aloud as he snapped crime scene photos. "You ain't kiddin'. Cage's about five foot by six foot and a good portion of it's taken up by the spinnin' wheel an' the stool. This guy didn't even have enough room to lie down."

"Yeah, and take a look over here. That's dried blood. There's blood splatter, too. A lot of it. On the shelves, those look like torture devices. Whip's got dried blood on it."

"Bag it. I'm gonna get Warner down here to get any other samples. Then we can head up to the house." Fin said.

"Hey, remember what Emma said, we need to look for an expensive yet worn out black suit that's worn out and beaten up. She said he was forced to wear it for most of last year and if he was raped, we'll probably get fluids off of it - from both of them."

"Well that would definitely prove they had sex, an' under the circumstances, I doubt anyone would think it _wasn't_ rape."

"You've got that right." Munch agreed. Fin left the storm cellar to get Warner, who was waiting and shivering outside in the cold. "It's safe, Warner." Fin said. She nodded, picked up her bag, and went down into the cellar after Munch. Fin waited around outside for awhile, pacing and checking his phone for texts from the others, until Munch and Warner came out, Warner looking grim with a case full of evidence.

They ducked under the yellow police tape just as a truck pulled up. Seven little men stepped out of it. "If that's who I think it is-" Fin started.

The leader spoke up. He was short with a grumpy face and a short black beard. "Hey! You're the guys from SVU, right? Here investigating The Dark One? Well, we're the Seven Dwarfs. I'm Grumpy. That's Doc, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy, Happy, and Bashful."

"You've got to be kidding me." Munch said. "What? You got a problem with Dwarfs?" Grumpy asked. Munch stepped back, defensive, and the other Dwarfs (minus Dopey, who didn't quite understand what was going on) gave Grumpy a look.

Grumpy backed off. "Sorry. Grumpy, ya know… I've been working on it." He said apologetically. "Anyway, I don't exactly approve of having outsiders here, but if Queen Snow says it's okay, you're cool with us. Sheriff Swan asked us to help you guys any way we could… and not to tell anybody about it."

"Alright. Well we gonna need all the help we can git. Pretty much all we need is somebody to guard the three crime scenes until is all done, then have somebody help Warner carry er' stuff and help her get it and the evidence down to the hospital. Emma got permission from a… Dr. Whale to use one of the labs for this case. Can a'll do that?"

"We're Dwarfs. Work is work. Hey, wait, you said crime _scenes_. As in more than one. How many are there?"

"So far, four. The cellar, the farmhouse, and the barn. Then this whole area counts as a crime scene because it's the area in between. So we need one man on each crime scene and three more patrolling the perimeter, then one more to help Warner. Can we get that done?"

"Alright. That's seven. Perfect. Sneezy, farmhouse. Dopey, barn. Bashful, guard the storm cellar. Happy, patrol. Same to you, Sleepy. Happy, please try to keep Sleepy awake. Doc, please help the Doc get her stuff to the hospital. I'll patrol with Sleepy and Happy. Picks up. Dwarfs, _break._ "

* * *

 _Well, SVU is taking the case, Gold knows there are people onto his secret, we've introduced the dwarfs, and we've seen some of the inner termoil going on for our poor victim, Rumple. In upcoming chapters, here's some things to think about: How is Belle going to take this? How bad is Rumple's depression going to get? How are our other OUAT characters going to get into this? What's going to happen to Zelena when all is said and done? Just what horrors will the SVU team find in the farmhouse? And even though Baelfire is dead... is he **really** gone? Find out in the next exciting chapter of 'Law and Order: VERY Special Victims Unit'!_

 _PS: SERIOUSLY GUYS, REVIEW! I love to hear from my readers! I think this may become my most popular story yet! Keep em' coming! I like the sound of your voices through the words on the screen!_

 _Till next time,_

 _alphashley14_


	4. Chapter 4: Operation Phoenix

_I would like to dedicate this chapter to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting and their families. I finished it the day it occurred. I send my prayers and blessings to the victims, both the dead and the injured, and their friends and families. God bless them, and God bless America._

* * *

 **Emma Swan**

Henry was on Archie's front porch when she went to pick up the cricket. He'd been sent there beforehand to brief Archie on everything before she got there so they wouldn't have to explain it in the car or at Granny's.

"Hey, Mom. Let me guess, Gold wasn't too thrilled about Operation Phoenix?"

"Operation Phoenix? That's what you're calling it?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. I actually put a lot of thought into it. A phoenix is a magical fire bird that ages hundreds of years, grows old, then 'dies' by bursting into flame. Then, it's reborn from the ashes new and happy and beautiful again. That's literally what we're doing for Gold so…"

"I like it kid, it's clever."

Then, Archie came out of the house. "Emma! Oh God, tell me what Henry's saying isn't true!"

"I'm afraid, from reliable evidence and the way Gold's been acting, there's a very high possibility it is." Emma sighed.

"Okay… okay. So, Henry says there's another psychiatrist in town you guys want me to work with?" Archie asked.

"Yes, his name is Dr. George Huang. He's an expert in helping rape victims and in criminal profiling. I'd like you two to work together. Each of you has expertise the other doesn't."

"That makes sense. I've never treated a rape victim before. But I know more about magic than someone from out of town would. Alright Emma, let's go meet them."

The car ride there was mostly silent, until Henry asked, "Emma, what are we going to tell Belle?" Emma almost wrecked the car, she could not _believe_ the thought had not crossed her mind! What _were_ they going to tell Belle?

 _"Hey Belle, we just thought we'd stop by and tell you your husband was brutally raped and tortured repeatedly last year and there's an entire NYPD SVU squad here investigating. Have a nice day!"_

Nope, Emma was _not_ looking forward to that conversation _at all_ , but it had to happen. Belle was closer to Gold than anyone. If he was going to open up and let someone in, testify, and seek help like he needed to, Belle was the only one who was going to be able to convince him to do it or he'd do it _for_ her. He'd already _died_ for Belle. Emma doubted there was much he wouldn't do for her.

Emma pulled into the Granny's parking lot and the three of them went inside. Elliot, Olivia, and Huang were sitting at a booth in the back, sipping coffee. They did introductions and the two psychiatrists shook hands. Then, it was down to business.

"From what Elliot and Olivia told me, he's definitely suffering from PTSD. I don't have any solid evidence, but if I had to guess, I'd say something someone said triggered a flashback, that's probably why he bailed."

"I agree. Where could he have gone though once he left?" Archie asked rhetorically. He then answered his own question. "We can rule out the shop, and if he's trying to keep Belle from seeing his pain, he probably wouldn't go to the library upset. Which leaves his home, his cabin, and maybe the wishing well, but he doesn't exactly have good memories of the forest as of late, so I doubt it."

"Do you think he may be at my Dad's grave?" Henry asked.

"Oh my God, I didn't even think of that. Good thinking, Henry." Archie complimented.

"You mentioned a wishing well, why would Gold go there? What's it's significance?" Huang asked.

Emma left it to Archie to explain. "The wishing well is located not far from Gold's shop, in the middle of the forest. It's the heart of magic in Storybrooke, it's got the highest concentration of magic in town. Gold like it there because spells are easier to perform and more powerful in that area."

" _And_ it's therapeutic for mages to be there because of the high concentration of magic. It makes them feel good. Learned that from Regina." Emma said.

"And he and Belle got married there last week." Henry added.

"But I still don't think he would go there." Archie said.

"Why's that?" Olivia asked.

"Getting married at the well _seems_ like it'd be Gold's idea, right? Well, it wasn't. In fact, he kept hinting that he was against holding the ceremony there, but he went through with it because he'd rather die than disappoint Belle again. Nea- _Bae_ died in the middle of the forest not far from the wishing well. Then Gold had no choice other than to just wait there until Zelena came to get him, and who knows what she did to him for running away?

"Most of the forest in Storybrooke looks pretty much the same. He may never be comfortable being surrounded by trees like that again. It'd bring back too many bad memories. That's why I don't think he'd go anywhere even a few feet within the treeline unless he absolutely had to."

"That makes a lot of sense. He was scared and upset when he ran away from you guys, why would he go somewhere that makes him uncomfortable?" Huang said.

"Okay, so that leaves his cabin, his house, and his son's grave as places he'd go." Olivia said.

Just as that conversation ended, Ruby came by with their lunch. As she was leaving, Emma stopped her. "Hey Ruby, we might need your help." Emma said.

"Really? What can I help you with, Emma?" Ruby asked.

"Okay, which one are you?" Stabler asked.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, this is Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, and George Huang." Emma said, pointing to each one as she spoke.

I don't think I've seen you in town before, did you guys come over with the second curse?" Ruby asked.

"Kind of." Henry said.

"It's a delicate matter. We want as few people as possible to know about it. After lunch we're all headed over to Archie's to drop off George and Archie. If you can get off early and meet us there, we'll tell you about it. But _seriously_. Tell _no one_." Emma said.

"Yeah yeah, I got it. I'll ask Granny about it, I'm sure she'll let me go." Ruby said.

" _Granny_? I don't mean to sound rude, but everyone in this town is Legendary, who are you in… the other world?" Stabler asked.

"Oh, right. You asked. My name's Ruby here, but in the Enchanted Forest, everyone called me Red. I'm a werewolf."

Three jaws dropped.

Ruby smiled at them. "See ya." She said, then she went back behind the counter and into the kitchens."

Olivia was the one to break the silence between the three SVU members. "Well, my inner child is coming out for like the hundredth time today. Hence far I've met Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, The Beast slash Rumpelstiltskin slash Tic-Toc-Croc, Jiminy Cricket, and now Little Red Riding Hood."

"If you want to add one to the list, Cinderella and her Prince are eating lunch with their daughter a few tables away from us." Henry said.

Elliot almost spat his coffee back into his cup, but managed to swallow most of it.

* * *

 **Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold**

He had _almost_ done it. The night after Zelena's defeat, he had stolen the dagger from Belle as she slept (she'd told him that if he killed Zelena, she wouldn't be happy nor angry with him), he had teleported into the Sheriff's station, the dagger in his hands, inside the cell, a few feet away from _her_ , with the spell on the tip of his tongue, the magic at the edge of his fingers, and yet… something inside him had told him _'no'_.

Maybe it was that he'd promised himself he would live this life a good man, a man his son, grandson, and wife wanted-no, _needed_ him to be. Maybe it was that Zelena was asleep (he hadn't thought he'd have the courage to face her awake, she had too much to mentally torture him with). Or maybe it was his own fear holding him back, turning him back into the crippled village spinner.

Who was he kidding? He was _still_ the crippled village spinner. Just the coward who had run from the wars.

 _"Who are you, Rumpelstiltskin?" She purred in his ear._

 _He was in her bedroom, shirtless, on the floor, on his knees, with his hands chained behind his back. Zelena was standing in front of him, twirling his dagger casually between her fingers, **taunting him** with it._

 _He answered what she wanted to hear, what she was cementing in his brain, forcing him to believe to be true. Anything to stop her from beating him again. He already had a black eye and his back was covered in lashes. She gave him a cat-o-nine-tails each time he tried to disobey._

 _"I'm a crippled village coward who ran from the war." Rumple replied fearfully._

 _"Now now, all people have more than one title. Surely you know that by now, Rumple? So **who else are you**?"_

 _"I'm the Dark One."_

 _"Also known as?"_

 _"Your Slave, Zelena."_

 _"Also known as?"_

 _He gulped, tears brimming in the corners of his eyes from pure shame. He'd been trying to avoid this one. "I'm your filthy little slut, Zelena." He whimpered._

 _She grinned and yanked his head back by his hair, when he gasped from the pain, she kissed him and forced her disgusting, slimy, treacherous tongue inside his mouth._

 _"And don't you ever forget it." She growled, unbuttoning his pants. "Coward."_

Despite having memories like _that_ permanently stuck in his brain, he had gone home that night, without laying a finger on the witch, put the knife back where he'd found it, and gone back to a light and insomnia-ish, nightmare-filled sleep on the couch.

It was a constant _terror_ of his that if he slept beside Belle, he'd have a nightmare and accidentally hurt her in his sleep. That was the last thing he ever wanted to happen. Belle, his precious bookworm, was one of the last treasures he had. He was already falling apart at the seams. If he lost her, especially if by his own doing, he knew it would be the end of him. He'd shatter.

Zelena liked taunting him with that, staring at him through the bars of his cage like a cat staring at a mouse, telling him all the different ways she was going to make him hurt Belle, then force him to rip her heart out and crush it.

That was why whenever he and Belle went to bed, no matter how tired he was, he always waited until she was asleep, then got out of bed and went to sleep on the couch. In the mornings, he always set his alarm clock to twenty minutes before Belle usually awoke. Then Rumple would get up, make the living room look like nothing had happened, and crawl back into bed with Belle until she woke up to her husband laying beside her, stroking the side of her perfect, soft cheek saying, _"Wake up, dearie. It's morning."_ And with sleepy blue eyes, his beauty would smile.

 _"Go ahead Rumple, I **love** it when you call me 'dearie'."  
_

Go away. _Go away_. Why wouldn't the memories just _go away_? He could never make enough dream catchers to make it all disappear. He could never spin enough gold to spin it all away.

 _"No. I think the spinning is bringing the madness."_

Maybe she was right. Rumple was quite sure he was slowly losing his mind. The delicate strands of his sanity were slowly wearing, getting thinner and thinner by the day. But what could he do to stop it?

Despite knowing he should probably tell someone, _anyone_ , he didn't. He stayed silent. He smiled when he was expected to smile. He put on a brave face. No one could possibly imagine the screaming and crying and wailing happening inside him.

Rumple buried his knees closer to his body and covered his head with his hands, feeling tears coming… but he wouldn't cry again, not today. Crying was for cowards. He didn't want to be a coward.

If people were like mountains, he was Vesuvius. And the pressure was building…

* * *

 **John Munch**

"This place is disgusting." Fin said. Munch couldn't help but agree with him.

It wasn't often in SVU that they had a case where the victim was a male and the offender was female. Even fewer where they were both adults. Stereotypically, it was the other way around. But this was Storybrooke Maine, apparently the usual rules didn't apply here.

They had found the battered, beaten up suit Emma had described unwashed (thank God) in the clothes hamper. The zipper on the pants was worn and looked like it had been broken once, like someone had tried taking this poor man's pants off too fast and had broken the zipper. There was also a disgusting layer of ejaculate all over the inside and outside of the groin area on the trousers and bottom of the shirt.

Munch had a feeling it wasn't all Rumple's.

After that, they hadn't found much evidence… until they'd gotten to the bedroom, that is. It was something out of a nightmare. Chains on the walls, encrusted with old blood around the cuffs where that poor man had struggled, every sex toy known to mankind, whips and cat-o-nine-tails, spatters of blood on the walls, ceiling, and on the wooden parts of the bed.

There were also papers under the bed in messy, shaky cursive. Written in what looked like ink or blood. _I am disgusting... My son is dead because of me... I don't deserve anything good I have... Belle will leave me if she knows what I did… Henry will hate me if I ever tell… Wicked is good… I am so useless… I'm not attractive… I tried to kill Roland… I attacked my own family… I am a monster… I am as ugly as I was in the Enchanted forest… I am weak… Why won't she just END IT?_

They went on and on. Zelena had forced this poor man to write all this over and over and over again, cementing it into his mind until he believed her. It was no wonder he wouldn't come forward himself, he was convinced he'd lose everything he held dear if he did.

"How does this woman sleep at night?" Munch asked. For a few seconds, Fin said nothing. Then, he spoke. "Just get Warner in here."

* * *

 **Regina**

Regina walked into the sheriff's station, knowing what she had to do, but unsure how to do it. She'd been considering it- giving Zelena a second chance, maybe turning it from a sibling rivalry into a _sisterhood_. She had always wanted a sister as a child, but had never gotten one, only to find out years later that she _did_ have a sister all along.

But now that Regina knew what Zelena had done, the _almost-complete list_ of what Zelena had done, she would never consider it again. She didn't want Zelena near Henry, or Robin, or Rollan, or even in town now that she knew what she knew.

Back when she had been the Evil Queen, she would have done anything to get what she wanted, but not this. This was _torture_ for _fun_ , _rape_ for _pleasure_. This was a new level of low, a type of evil that even the Queen wouldn't touch. This was _wicked_.

Regina and Rumpelstiltskin had never been what one would call 'friends'. And he hadn't exactly been the kind of teacher you brought an apple to class for either… But he'd never beat her, he always stopped the lesson when he knew enough was enough, he had taught her almost everything she knew about magic, and it was his fluency in the legal system that had brought her and Henry together… so she supposed she owed him _something_.

Finally, she walked into the sheriff's office. Zelena was in her cell, tapping her long, red fingernails on the green metal bars. What did Rumple see when he looked at her like that? What memories resurfaced? Did she ever scratch him when she beat him or raped him?

"What do you want?" Zelena asked. Then she saw the look on her sister's face. Disgust, anger, disappointment. "What?"

"I know what you did, Zelena." Regina said. Zelena gave her a look. "We all know what you did to Rumple." Zelena's face fell. Regina continued. "How _could_ you? I'm the _Evil Queen_ and I would never have done what you did, even in my evil days." Regina said. Zelena still hadn't said a word. But she spoke now.

"He's too terrified to tell you anything, I made sure of that for just in case the plan failed, which it did."

"So you admit he's got something to tell?" Regina said.

"Well you already know, it was so _intoxicating_ to watch him squirm, to watch the frustration feed his madness. And the whimpering was _pathetic_. _'I'm so sorry, Belle.' 'Please stop, Zelena.' 'I don't want to, Zelena.' 'Bae, forgive me.'_ He could have snapped over to his son at any second back when he was insane, but no, he'd rather take all the pain than let me inflict anything on his precious boy. Honestly, he didn't seem to know what I was doing half the time when he was insane. It got _so_ much more _fun_ once the voices were gone."

"You are a monster." Regina said.

"And you're going to burn for it." Regina swirled around, staring right at Henry, who was standing by the open door. She'd never seen her adopted son so angry, his nostrils flared, his chest heaving, his fists clenched.

"We've got detectives visiting town who expertise in this kind of crime. New York's best Special Victims' Unit. They won't let you get away. They're at the farmhouse and the cellar right now collecting evidence. Do you know what _happens_ to rapists in prison in this world? _They_ get raped. I hope the other inmates _kill_ you in prison if we don't give you the _chair_! That's my _grandpa_ you were talking about, you _witch_!"

With that, Henry bolted down the hall and out the front door.

* * *

 **Henry**

Henry didn't know how long he ran, but the next thing he knew, he was in the forest a few feet away from the wishing well. Why his feet had brought him here, he'd never know. Henry yelled in anger and kicked the trunk of one of Storybrooke's old trees.

He'd had to deal with the frustration of being the only one who knew about the curse, he'd been taken prisoner by Peter Pan, but listening to _that woman_ talk about his grandfather like that, Henry didn't think he'd ever been this angry.

It took a few seconds, but Henry calmed himself down and sat down next to the old well. Anger never led to anything good, he had to _think_ rationally, for Gold.

Henry sat at the steps for several minutes, trying to collect his thoughts. The reason he'd been at the station was because the adults had wanted a grown-up conversation once Ruby had arrived at Archie's office. The werewolf's sense of smell was going to be _very_ useful in the investigation. He hated being left out for being too young, but understood their reasons. He didn't know why he'd gone to the Sheriff's Station, he supposed he was just looking for some way to be useful, then he'd overheard his adopted Mom and Zelena talking…

Henry wanted to tell someone. Someone close to Gold who could help him. Not Belle, because Henry knew how humiliated and upset his Grandpa already was, and didn't want to make it worse by telling the #1 person Gold _didn't_ want to know about 'it'. It would really be perfect if there was someone who had known him a really long time, who was actually ther-

Wait, there _was_ someone like that! There was someone in town who had known Rumple, even before he became Dark One, and might know just how much he was hurting… His Dad. Unfortunately, Neal Cassidy, Baelfire, Bae, his Dad, was dead. Dead and never coming back.

But Henry knew that when love and magic mixed, they were a powerful combination. His Dad might be dead, but that didn't mean he wouldn't respond if Henry asked for help.

Henry got up and made the three-mile walk to the Storybrooke Cemetery. He arrived at about five. The sun was just starting to set, casting a lovely tangerine glow over everything. A soft Maine breeze blew over the trees and gravestones, Henry like the sound of the wind through the leaves. Yes, though all cemeteries had a melancholy air about them of what once was, this was a peaceful place to have your final resting place.

Gold had definitely been there recently. Henry's hunch must have been right. For one thing, his large footprints were in the dirt and grass around his Dad's grave, and there was a lovely, fresh bouquet of red roses on his Dad's grave, neatly tied together with a glimmering strand of gold straw.

Henry sat down in the grass in front of his Dad's grave. Henry cleared his throat nervously. How to begin?

"Uh, hey Dad. I've really missed you. I really wish you were here now, of all times. I know he's been coming to see you, so you probably know, but Zelena didn't _just_ keep your Papa prisoner. She beat him and tortured him. She raped him. A lot. He's really hurting. He's upset and angry and alone and he hates himself for what happened.

"You're one of the only people who could ever get through to him. You're…" Henry started to get choked up.

"You're _dead_. So I don't know how much you can do, but I hope you can help us in some way. Give us the strength we need to help him. Give him the strength and the courage to get through this and _get help_. He needs it. He needs all the help he can get."

Henry sniffed, holding back tears. "So uh, I'd better be headed back before my Moms start looking for me, you know how they get. I love you, Dad. And I miss you. I'll be sure to come visit again sometime. Bye." Henry walked away from the marble grave, and towards the road home.

He didn't see the pretty red feather land right next to where he'd been sitting just a moment before. And if one had been in the cemetery that afternoon, though Henry didn't hear it, you may have heard the faint whisper in the wind.

 _"I'm going to do much more than that."_

* * *

 ** _Review, Review, Review! The more often I get Reviews, the more often I update! Operation Phoenix is on! Archie and Ruby Red have been added to the equation! And we've heard a few lines from Zelena! And... has Baelfire's ghost been added to the mix as well? Why, I just don't know (Muahahahaha!) Soon, we will be seeing more and more characters come together to help poor Rumple, and there will be Rumbelle VERY SOON!_**

 ** _Speaking of which, what IS anyone going to tell Belle?_**

 ** _If you guys include ideas in the reviews, I might go through with them. This story is not actually a well planned-out plot as many of my others are. I'm writing as I go. OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS!_**

 ** _Lastly, seeing a red feather is a sign that there is the spirit of someone you love close by, for those of you who don't know. That's why a red feather landed on the bench next to Regina after she lost a certain someone (DON'T WANT TO SPOIL ANYTHING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT CAUGHT UP ON OUAT!)._**

 ** _See you next time!_**

* * *

 _Prayers for the victims of Las Vegas and their loved ones. :(_


	5. Chapter 5: Baelfire's Fury

_**Thank you so much for all the wonderful Reviews! I love them so much and I want more more MORE! Sorry it's been a little while, just blame 42! (Those who have seen hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy will get it) Life, the universe, and everything! Enjoy! ANd don't forget to leave a review at the end!**_

* * *

 **Dr. Warner's POV**

It wasn't the crime scene, it wasn't the battlefield, but the hospital had become the most terrifying place in Storybrooke. Warner was walking down the hall back to the lab after a quick coffee break. The lighting was dim. There were no windows. She was the only living soul in the hallway.

She was passing by the door to the underground prison, where they'd moved their rapist two days previously, when the temperature dropped like a rock. Warner shivered. It was back. Whatever it was. The lights flickered. Warner heard footsteps, but the hallway was empty. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"What do you want?" She asked. She didn't even know who or what she was asking. She'd never believed in ghosts, but it was the only explanation she had. Even if it wasn't logical.

Then, a voice murmured a single word in Warner's ear. A familiar word that made her blood run cold. _"Justice."_

* * *

 **Belle Gold**

Something was wrong. Something was definitely, seriously wrong with Rumple, and Belle didn't know what it was. And it was killing her. He was distant, he was quiet, his eyes were sad. They were _married_ now and hadn't been intimate once, he stormed out at random times, he left early and came home late.

Was he avoiding her? Had she done something wrong?

Or was there a possibility he didn't like her anymore? No, no. What a stupid thought. They had only just gotten married, he couldn't be bored of her already… could he?

His son _had_ just died. Maybe that was it. Maybe this was just Rumple's way of coping. But he could… _would_ talk to her if that was the case, right?

In any case, it was making Belle terribly sad. She _missed_ him. They had seen each other more when she had been a servant at his castle, for pete's sake. It was eating her alive. And now, there were strange people in town, they had been there for a few days now, and no matter how many times she tried calling or texting… _anyone_ , they either didn't know or wouldn't answer her.

To top it off, she was quite positive Emma, Henry, Snow, Charming, Regina, the dwarves, Archie, Dr. Whale, and Red were avoiding her. Whenever she went to say hello, they turned the other way.

Hook had also dropped off the map. She didn't know what he was up to (no one did), but he'd disappeared aboard his ship and hadn't left. She heard a rumor going around he ordered takeout every night.

One thing was for sure: Something was up, and Belle intended to find out what. Belle was headed downstairs that morning, but strangely, when she walked into the kitchen, every single drawer, cabinet, window, and door was sitting open. While that was most certainly one of the strangest things to happen in the Gold household in quite awhile, Belle dismissed it as it being one of Rumple's odd little quirks, and closed all the drawers, cabinets, windows, and doors again.

She got some cereal with milk and an apple for breakfast. Then, Belle grabbed her phone and her purse and started walking out the door. But first, she made sure to pause and glance at the chipped teacup sitting under a glass case on their mantle. But oddly, the glass case was wide open. Belle quickly rushed over and closed it. One bump or something and that priceless symbol of their love would be in a thousand pieces on the stone fireplace. Not a chance Belle was willing to take.

Belle quickly rushed over to the mantle and closed the case and locked it tight. She sighed. Rumple must have been looking at it, and forgotten to close the case? Did he stare at it, thinking about their love? Was it… _over_ for him? God, Belle did not know what to do.

Belle turned around…

In the front hallway in front of the front door, there is a large antique mirror. It was nice, oval-shaped with a gold frame with victorian-era designs all over it, hung horizontally on the wall.

When Belle turned around, she had to look right at it. And she screamed. There was a shadow, a silhouette of a man standing right behind her! Belle ran to the front door, but it was locked and it kept re-locking itself, no matter how many times she unlocked it.

"Rumple, if this is a joke, it's not funny!" Belle cried. Great, now she was crying, too. There wasn't an answer. Rumple wouldn't do this. Rumple _might_ try the whole ghost thing as a prank, he had been rather playful in the enchanted forest, but Belle knew him well enough to know that he always knew when the joke was over.

A trembling, frightened, mess, Belle backed away from the door. She glanced in the direction of the mirror, and the figure was gone. She looked over at the teacup on the mantle… and the case was sitting wide open, again.

Then, Belle _shivered_. And not from fear. In seconds, she was quite sure the temperature of the room had gotten at least ten degrees colder in the last five seconds. And it didn't stop. The temperature kept dropping lower and lower. Within fifteen seconds, Belle could see her breath. Belle wrapped her jacket closer around herself. Her teeth chattered. Belle heard a noise. She turned.

It was the mirror, again. There was a layer of mist forming over the glass. Like it was fogging over by itself. It kept getting thicker and thicker, until Belle could no longer see her own reflection. Then…

Words began to appear.

It was like someone invisible was dragging their finger along the surface of the mirror, writing words on the fogged up glass. A message began to appear. Belle's heart stopped.

* * *

 **Emma Swan**

A lot happens in three days. Warner was using the Storybrooke Hospital as a lab for her forensic research into the case, and the evidence was crippling to Zelena, and heartbreaking for those who cared about Gold. The main one: Henry.

Emma had never seen her son so blue. He was quiet, he was moody, he was… angry. And Gold, he'd disappeared. Whenever someone caught a glimpse of him and tried to talk, he'd disappear before they could say a word.

Emma hated it. She hated what Zelena had done to her illegitimate father-in-law, and she hated the impact it was having on everyone else. Hook had locked himself away on his ship. When she had gone to try and reason with him, to get him to pitch in like everyone else, he'd spat in her face, _"I will not be caught_ dead _helping the_ Crocodile! _"_ And slammed the door in her face. Well, that said enough about his character in Emma's eyes. Asshole.

Emma was also pretty sure Belle was onto them. Belle. Belle had become a taboo topic in their little impromptu investigation. They all knew she was going to find out _eventually_ , but no one wanted to do the dirty deed. How do you look a woman in the eye and tell her something _that_ horrible happened to the man she loves?

All Emma could say was 'Thank God for Olivia Benson.' Olivia, being a SVU detective with _plenty_ of experience with this kind of thing _and_ one of the more compassionate and less intimidating of the SVU detectives, Olivia had stepped forward and volunteered to tell Belle the truth if-and-when the time came. Emma also volunteered to do it. She did _not_ want to do it, but she didn't want to look like a coward for making a stranger do it.

Zelena had been moved from the Sheriff's Station cell to a more permanent (and more high-security) cell under the hospital.

Strangely, the nurses began to report strange… activity at the hospital, mainly in and around the detention area. As in, _paranormal_ activity. And it started the same hour Zelena moved into her new cell.

Lights would flicker on and off, people were reporting shadow figures and energy orbs, voices and footsteps would be heard when there was no one there, there were random moments when the temperature would suddenly drop to so cold, you could see your breath, doors opened and slammed shut on their own, and... _Zelena_.

That's right, Zelena, _only_ Zelena, had needed medical care _twice_ in the past two days when she'd woken up in the night screaming her head off, with red, angry scratches running down her back that were obviously from human fingernails, so impressive that they didn't just leave red marks, they broke the skin and actually made her _bleed_. Plus the word _'RAPIST'_ had been written in what Warner had tested positive as Zelena's blood _twice_ on the door to Zelena's cell. That was likely one of the reasons for the scratches.

Emma wasn't sure whether or not to be ashamed that she was rather satisfied to know the witch was on medication just to get a few hours of sleep.

 _If_ it was a ghost, Emma didn't know who it could be. The hospital had never had anything paranormal happen before. Henry was swearing on his life that it was Neal- or, Baelfire, his Dad.

Emma supposed that made sense, considering he was the town's most recent death and it was _his Papa's_ rapes that were being investigated. A part of Emma _wanted_ it to be Neal. A feeling she was rather guilty about, because the rest of her _didn't_ want it to be Neal. She wanted him to move on to some paradise where his soul could rest safe and happy for eternity, waiting for the rest of his family when the time came.

Emma was walking into the Sheriff's station to go over the evidence with the SVU team when she got the _strangest_ phone call from Belle. Emma had no idea why she answered it, something inside her had told her to.

"Hey, Belle. What's going on?" Emma asked. When Belle started talking, it sounded like she was crying. Oh, Lord…

 _"Emma... There's something really weird here at the house. I… I think it's a ghost. I'm really scared. I'm locked in the house, it won't let me out. It… I don't know… hacked into my phone, and my cell started dialing your number by itself. Please come help me."_

"Belle, just remain calm. You're sure it isn't a prank? Some kid with magic playing a mean joke?"

 _"Rumple can sense when someone else is a mage. He keeps tabs on everyone in town who can do magic, or who he thinks can, but doesn't know it. The nearest unawoken mage lives on the other side of town. There's no one other than Rumple or a ghost who could or would do this. And Rumple knows when the joke's over."_

"Alright, Belle. Just get somewhere safe and close to the front door, I'm coming. Hang in tight,"

 _"Okay."_

Belle hung up.

Conveniently, Olivia Benson was walking into the Sheriff's station at the same time Emma was walking out.

* * *

 **Olivia Benson**

Olivia Benson was walking into the Sheriff's Station, looking for something useful to do, when Emma came jogging towards her in a hurry.

"Hey Olivia, I just got a frantic call from Belle." Emma said.

"Our victim's wife? Please tell me she's alright." Olivia said.

"I don't know. It sounds like the thing tormenting the hospital is at her house."

"The thing that everyone keeps saying is a ghost?"

"That'd be it."

"Well then let's go. I had my own experience with it, and it scared the _shit_ out of me."

As Emma drove the two of them to the Gold residence in her yellow bug, Olivia couldn't help but recall her paranormal experience in the hospital.

She had been walking down an empty hallway to the lab space Warner had been using to go see if she'd found anything else, when a ridiculously cold wind blew right through her. It got so cold, her teeth started to chatter. The lights had started to flicker. Olivia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Then, a man's voice had said in her ear, _"Thanks for coming, Detective Benson. Welcome to Storybrooke."_ Then, as quickly as it came, the temperature returned to normal, the lights stopped flickering, and it was gone. A very freaked out Olivia Benson had nearly fainted as soon as she'd gotten to Warner's.

Olivia snapped back to reality as the car pulled up to the curb of what she presumed was the Gold residence. It was a large green house on the more wealthy side of town. Then again, Olivia had been told about what life was like during the curse; that _Mr. Gold_ had been the wealthiest and most powerful man in town aside from _Mayor Mills_ , The Evil Queen.

Seriously, this was one incredibly messed up family tree. And that was coming from her, the daughter of a rapist and his victim.

When Emma rang the doorbell, the door knob shook like someone was _trying_ to open it, but then it stopped. "Emma! The door _won't_ unlock!" A young woman's voice cried from inside the house. Olivia noted that she had a cute and very distinct british accent.

Olivia stepped back to kick the door down, but no sooner than she raised her foot, it swung open. _By itself._

The young woman standing in the foyer was a good six feet away from the door when it opened, so it definitely wasn't her.

Princess Belle Gold was, as all the stories said, blindingly beautiful. She had long, wavy chocolate brown hair, perfect white skin, and a pair of large blue eyes. Certainly what many would call 'a face to die for'. And from what Olivia had been told, Rumpelstiltskin _had_ died for her once.

She was wearing a knee-length blue dress, a white jacket, black leggings, and a pair of brown boots. The whole outfit reminded Olivia of the blue dress she'd worn in the movie. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

Belle squealed in surprise and jumped when the door opened. Olivia noted she had dry tears on her cheeks, and she looked really shocked, confused, and upset. They froze for a few seconds in surprise, before Belle broke the silence. "I did not open that door. I just want to make that fact clear."

"I know you didn't. Come on, Belle. Let's get out of here before something else happens." Emma said.

"Who's that?" Belle asked, gesturing to Olivia.

"Olivia Benson, NYPD Special Victims Unit." Olivia introduced herself.

"You're one of those people from out of town?" Belle asked.

"Yeah. I'm one of them."

"Okay. Well, Emma, Olivia, I'd just like to let you know I am not going anywhere, you are going to come inside, and we need to talk. _Now._ "

"Belle, if you want to talk to us, don't you think it can wait until we're at the sta-" Emma started, but Belle cut her off.

" _No_! Nonononononono! No! Okay! I don't know why, or what I did to deserve it, but all of you have cut me off! I've tried calling, texting, email, and approaching you in person, and everyone either doesn't pick up, doesn't answer, or walks the other way. Now you are going to get in here..."

Without further hesitation, Belle dragged them inside, shut the door behind them and pointed to a large oval-shaped mirror on the wall.

"And you are going to explain _THAT!_ "

The amount of condensation on the glass of the mirror was not natural, and there was a message written in the water vapor in big sloppy capital letters. _Uh-oh._

 _'THE WITCH WAS RAPING YOUR HUSBAND!'_

There were a few moments of stunned silence. Olivia was shocked, but waiting for someone to say something, _anything_. Emma was shooting Olivia a look that quite clearly said _'You promised you'd break it to her, please help me.'_ And Belle just had a look of pure fury on her face that said it all. _'This had better not be true. How could you not tell me?'_

Belle took a deep breath, and that look of anger was replaced by one of fear and concern. And Olivia knew why: she didn't want the message on the mirror to be true. She still had some sort of hope that this was going to be some cruel joke and that there was nothing wrong with the love of her life. Olivia wished she could tell her just that, but…

Belle took a deep breath. "Emma, this had better not be true. Please have this not be true… Is this why everyone keeps avoiding me?"

"Belle-"

"Did. Zelena. Rape. Rumple?"

Emma looked over at Olivia. Olivia nodded at her. Emma looked Belle straight in the eye, and told the truth. "Yeah."

Belle crumpled like a piece of burnt paper. She collapsed onto her knees and just stared at the ground with wide eyes. Olivia had seen the look many times before, but it was a look you never wanted to see. Pure horror, shock, agony at the knowledge that someone you loved _that much_ was in so much pain.

Olivia knew she was better at dealing with it from here. She knelt down to eye-level with Belle. The Beauty looked at her with _that look_. Olivia remembered getting that same look on her face once a long time ago, when she'd found out who her father was, and _what he'd done to her mother._

"Belle, it's true. All evidence points to the fact that Zelena raped your husband. I'm so sorry. I would never wish this on him, you, or anyone."

"How did you find out?" Belle asked, her eyes dazed.

"I found out first." Emma said. "I've been suspecting there was something seriously wrong with him since the night he got back, he just had this… haunted look and he got startled really easily. I noticed later in the week that he was spending more time alone than usual when he should have been with you, I was having coffee with him last week, and noticed the cuts on his wrists as well as bruising that I know wasn't you."

"He's _cutting_ himself?" Belle asked with horror.

"Yeah… I questioned him about it and the bruising, and asked him if it was Zelena on a whim. He… freaked out and poofed himself away. At which point, I called my old friends from New York's Special Victims' Unit for help. I didn't know what else to do."

"And what evidence is there? What evidence did you find that this _whim_ is accurate?" Belle demanded.

Olivia decided she'd better take back the controls. "We found the suit she made him wear for most of the duration of his imprisonment while in Storybrooke. The zipper of the pants was broken-"

"She made him wear it for a long time! Maybe it just-"

"And there was a disgusting amount of fluids on the pants and on the bottom front of the shirt… not all of it was his. And under the circumstances, do you really think it was consensual?"

Olivia hadn't thought Belle could have looked more horrified… she was wrong. But there was more. And Olivia had to spill all of it.

"The farmhouse was a living hell. There's no doubt she tortured him. I… don't want to tell you all the details."

"NO! I have to know! You have to tell me _everything_ she did to Rumple!" Belle screamed. Beside her, Emma deflated like a balloon with a hole in it.

"Alright, then we'll take you to the station, and let you see evidence. It's time you met the team."

* * *

 **"The Ghost"**

As the three got into the yellow volkswagen bug, a shadow watched from the upstairs window. He hadn't liked doing that, but it was the only way. It had to be done. Belle was the only one who could help his Papa, this he knew as a fact. Rumpelstiltskin had proven over and over again how much love he had in his heart for his little brunette bookworm. The memories had only come back after he'd died, but his mind had been vaguely aware of what was going on around it during that horrible year. He remembered bits and pieces. Very few. And he wasn't sure whether or not he was grateful for that.

 _Rumpelstiltskin was insane. To the point he didn't understand what was real and what wasn't. Couldn't quite tell up from down or red from blue. Couldn't tell which voices were real and which ones weren't… but every now and then, through the veil, Baelfire could._

 _His father spun for hours. The glittering gold was the only creative thing his father had to do. Baelfire was grateful for that. If he didn't have his wheel, his 'toy', as the green bitch chose to call it, Bae was sure his father would be hurting himself. He spun until his fingers bled. He spun until there was so much gold he could hardly stand without stepping on some. He sat, day after day in his own excrement, spinning and muttering to the voices under his breath, "Shut up. Shut up and go away."... But he whispered to his son, too. "I'm sorry you have to see this, Bae." And inside is Father's mind, Bae cried for him. He screamed and hoped his Father could hear._

 _"LET ME GO! IT'S POINTLESS! WE BOTH KNOW I'M GOING TO DIE EVENTUALLY! LET ME GO, GET YOUR SANITY BACK, GET THAT STUPID F***ING DAGGER BACK, AND KILL THAT GREEN BITCH WITCH FOR ME!"_

 _Rumpelstiltskin rarely replied. Bae had no way of knowing if he was ignoring him, or if he didn't hear him at all._

 _When not screaming things along those lines at his Dad, Bae said words of love and comfort and hoped his father could hear. Especially after a particularly bad beating or berating from her._

 _"Don't worry, Papa. You've worked too hard for a happy ending for it to end like this. Belle will come for you. Or Emma and Henry. This family stays together. We take care of each other, remember? Someone will come for you. I love you, Papa. I love you. You're so wonderful. You're so smart and strong and brave and everything a boy ever loved about his Papa. Don't listen to a word Zelena says. I love you. And I always will."_

 _Bae wasn't sure if his Dad always heard him, but it was the closest thing to 'taking care of him' that he could do. Wasn't that what sons were supposed to do for their fathers? Take care of them when they got old and crazy?_

 _Bae wasn't all there very often… but he was there that awful day about two months into his Dad's imprisonment._

 _It started when Snow, Charming, Regina, Robin, and Belle broke into the castle, having come in desperation to ask Rumple for knowledge, as people had been doing for centuries. His poor Papa had hardly known what was going on, just answers to whatever statements people threw at him. Most of which didn't even make sense. "Rumple bumple isn't here, Rumple bumple's… gone, my dear."_

 _"My God, he really is back from the dead." Regina said when she saw him. Bae wanted to scream at her, 'And obviously in a very dangerous and terrible situation slowly wearing down his physical and mental health! Get him out of here!'_

 _"Dead, dead… so much better… dead." Papa said quietly._

 _"What is she doing to you?" Belle asked, blue eyes filled with love and concern._

 _"Thank you, Belle, for asking that question and showing a little concern for the crazy guy in the f***ing cage! Anyone else?" Bae asked aloud. Of course, only his Papa heard him._

 _"Nothing that can't be undone. Rumpelstiltskin, we need your help. How do we stop Zelena?" Snow asked._

 _"How the f*** does she expect you to help from in here? Let me die and get that damned knife, and we'll talk." Bae said. 'That's the one thing Rumple bumple can't do. Rumple bumple can't lose you. Can't lose you… too.' Rumple told him inside his head. If only Bae had realized just how much his Papa loved him while he was alive… if only he had been a better, smarter son._

 _"Round and round the circle of time, ticking towards the finish line." Rumple said out loud._

 _Then Belle grabbed his hand and stopped him from spinning. Bae felt a few precious strands of his father's sanity suddenly snap back into place by love. And the hope! Oh, the hope! It was wonderful! Bae hadn't felt his Dad so happy in so long!_

 _"Rumple… Rumple, I know you can hear me. How… do we stop… Zelena?"_

 _This, Baelfire was okay with. Her voice spoke with love, her eyes twinkled an unsaid promise. 'I will get you out'. Bae knew she only wanted to stop Zelena so she could save Rumple. And that was all Bae wanted._

 _She snapped his Papa out of it. He kept control for just long enough to give an answer. "Light."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Light. Magic… The Good Witch of the South. Glinda."_

 _"Glinda? South of what? Oz?"_

 _"No. Banished! Here! The Good Witch of the South was banished north of the dark forest." He squeaked on the last word, and he hopped up in his chair a little. Bae couldn't help but be proud of his Papa. That was the most coherent thing he'd said in months._

 _Everything began to blur again! "Hold onto it Papa, hurry!"_

 _"How do we find her?" Snow asked. "Rumpelstiltskin, in the dark forest, how do we find her?" Snow asked, raising her voice. Bae felt fear in the back of his Papa's mind. Beatings followed yelling._

 _"Don't raise your voice, you'll scare him!" Bae said. But of course, he forgot, only his Papa could hear him._

 _"Through the door, step inside… if pure of heart, then she won't hide." His father sang in a high-pitched voice. Then, he giggled. "Hold onto it, Papa! You're doing so good!" Bae cheered him on._

 _Heads bowed in disappointment (except for Belle's) and Regina just turned and walked away._

 _"Oh come on, he's insane, give him some credit! He gave you an answer! Figure it out!" But of course, only Rumple could hear him._

 _Belle lingered by the cage for as long as she could, the beauty stared at her beast longingly until Robin, lingering at the door called out, "Belle, come on. I know you want to stay with him but if she comes, she'll kill us all." Robin spoke from a heart that knew what it was like to have love stolen, but from a mind that knew they had to flee. Bae was grateful for that. His Papa was so happy to have her here, but they both knew she had to run._

 _"I love you, never forget that. No matter what she does to you, no matter what she makes you do, I will always love you. I will never stop fighting for you."_

 _The Dark One did not reply. And she smiled at him, and fled the castle with the others._

 _It was a long time before his father did anything other than spin. Then he spoke aloud. "What's it going to be, what's it going to be, what's it going to be when she comes for me?" Even insane and in the Enchanted Forest, he made references to 'COPS'. No matter what anyone thought, he was still in there. But he was also right. Zelena was going to flay him when she realized what he'd told them._

 _"I'll protect you, Papa." Bae said. He felt like a small child again, seen, but not heard. Unable to protect his Papa from those who ridiculed him and dragged him down. And Baelfire hated it. He hated that he wasn't able to protect his Papa from what was to come. How were they to know? They'd been in purgatory until now… and hell was right around the corner._

 _Zelena stormed in with the fury of a Kansas category five tornado. She knew. Uh-oh. She unlocked the door of the cage with magic, grabbed Rumple by his hair, and threw him out of the cage. "What did you tell them?" She demanded. Rumple whimpered and shrunk back away from her. She pulled out the dagger. That stupid blade! "WHAT DID YOU TELL THEM?" She roared. On the dagger's command, he recanted._

 _"Light. Magic… The Good Witch of the South. Glinda… Banished! Here! The Good Witch of the South was banished north of the dark forest… Through the door, step inside… if pure of heart, then she won't hide."_

 _Zelena struck him across the face. Hard. "You traitorous little imp!" Bae could hear his father thinking, 'Who says I was ever loyal to you to begin with?', and Bae so wanted to say it aloud._

 _Much to his pride and horror, insane and not thinking clearly, his Papa said, "The bitch can beat me, skin my hide, but never will I be on her side! My head's clouded with a dense fog. I may be your slave, but I'm not your dog!"_

 _"Really? Because you eat what I give you like an animal and sleep in a kennel… now, where does this streak of defiance come from, dog? Ah, was it your little librarian? Did she give you hope?"_

 _"Wicked can't do anything to Beauty. She's a hundred miles away by now, under the protection of two strong queens and a king." Rumple snarled._

 _"Oh, I can't do anything to Belle… but there's nothing stopping me from doing whatever I want to you, my pet." She said in a very suggestive tone. "She wouldn't- won't! Even she wouldn't do that… would she?" Bae asked._

 _"Hands behind your head. Don't move. No sound unless it's to beg, scream, or cry. I find those arousing."_

 _The dagger forced him to comply. Bae felt himself floating out and away from his father. 'I don't want you to feel any of this, Bae. And please for my sake don't watch.' His Papa told him via mental connection._

 _But Bae was so horrified and frozen with fear, he could not tear his eyes away. He watched her shove him onto his back and rip his clothes off. He listened to his father beg for mercy, then cry (he could see the tears falling), then scream, then just whimper (he heard his father's thoughts via mental connection, praying to God to make it end), and to her noises of pleasure. Baelfire screamed, "LEAVE HIM ALONE! STOP IT!" But by then it was too late. And what could he do, anyway? She violated him, wore down his already fractured sanity and drove him even further into madness._

 _When it was over, she used magic to re-clothe them and teased him with the dagger, putting it dangerously close to his face. "I rather enjoyed that, Rumple… I think I might do it again, sometime. Now, here's a thought to leave you with. If Belle knew, what you did, what would she say? What would she do?"_

 _Rumpelstiltskin whimpered._

 _"I'll tell you then, she'd leave you. What would your son do? Your grandson? Why, they'd be disgusted to share your blood. You're tainted now, Rumpelstiltskin. Filthy. And if anyone ever finds out, they'll spread the word like a virus. How disgusting and horrible you are."_

 _She threw him back in his cage. "Where's your hope now… dog?"_

 _Then, he was alone. Laying on the floor of his cage. A few minutes passed. The shock started to wear down. Bae returned to his father's body. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. 'She just did that. The thing only the truly evil do. Even Dark Ones don't do that. I just watched… she raped him!'_

 _After a few more minutes, Rumpelstiltskin dragged himself into a sitting position and leaned back against the bars of his cage. His eyes were haunted. He slowly drew his knees close to his body and wrapped his arms around his legs. Staring straight ahead with unblinking eyes at the spot on the floor where it had happened. His body started to shake. After a few moments, he quietly started to giggle. Then, the first tears fell and he began to cry. Soon after that, he was sobbing and screaming, burying his face in his hands and knees to keep the noise down. Rocking himself. "I'm sorry Belle… So so sorry, my Beauty. My Belle. I'm so sorry, Belle." He sobbed._

 _The insanity crept back in as the minutes passed, and Bae was soon thrown into a thick fog. He couldn't hear or see much… but he got enough to know that the Witch did what she did more than once._

"I'll make sure she burns for what she did." Bae said to himself, clenching his fists. "Keep your innocence, child." A voice said. Bae forced himself to calm down, turned around, and smiled. "Greetings, Gabriel, and you too, Puriel." He said. "What brings you to our humble town?" He asked.

"Our Lord sensed your anger, and wished to avert catastrophe." Gabriel said. "I know it's wrong to want someone else dead, but… God sees all, you both know what she did." Bae said.

"I know what she did. And you were right in your decision to make sure Belle knew of it, too. Your Father needs all the love and support he can get. And no one can give it to him like Belle can. He will need you, too. To be strong and guide him." Gabriel said.

"Tell God I said 'Thank you again for letting me come back to take care of him'." Bae said.

"Will do. And don't worry about the Witch, Bae. Trust me. As one of the two Angels of judgement and punishment, I'll see to it personally that whether she ends up getting judged by myself or Dokiel, she'll have a nice hot place in _hell_ waiting for her." Puriel said.

Puriel was one of the two Angels of judgement and punishmet. The other one was Dokiel, whom Bae had heard good things about but never actually met. She or Dokiel judged every soul that came through purgatory and sent them on their way to heaven or hell. She was a fiery, pitiless angel, just as the bible described her. But you had to love her, anyway.

She was also the first angel Bae had met after he'd officially died. She'd judged him as good and heaven-worthy almost immediately and sent him into paradise, and had later stood by him when he'd _begged_ God to let him go back to Earth as a Guardian Angel to watch over his Papa, Henry, and Emma and make sure justice was properly done. Of course, Henry had inadvertently helped, too. When he had gone to his grave and asked for help, the boy's words had convinced God to let Bae return to Earth in spirit.

 _"Puriel!"_ Gabriel scolded. Gabriel was one of God's top Angels, and shared his love of both the sinners and the do-gooders. God loved all his people… even the ones he ended up sending to hell.

"Sorry pretty boy, but I am shipping her butt 'downstairs' so fast she'll get whiplash from the trip down." Puriel said. Yeah, not _all_ angels acted as 'heavenly' as people may think. Puriel certainly proved it, the fiery, pitiless angel shook her wings, sending a few papers sailing off of a nearby desk from the wind.

"Look, Bae, Gabe over here might not say it, but he's thinking it. We came down here basically to tell you not to have some tragic 'accident' befall the Witch that causes her sudden, slow, painful demise. Wait until she's old, rotting in prison, and wishing it was just over. Then let her die and ol' Puriel will deal with her for ya, kiddo."

Puriel got in real close. "And between you and me, I had every intention of sending your Papa to heaven once he got to the front of the line. Still do. And Dokiel feels the same way. His loyalty to you throughout the centuries, then his sacrifice to save his loved ones proved ol' Rumple was a good egg deep down. Besides, all Dark Ones get a bunch of sins taken off for the fact that there's a demon rooted inside them that makes them make evil decisions. It ain't all their fault. Ya get me?"

"Really, Puriel?" Bae asked. His heart soared. That had been one of the reasons Bae had been so desperate to bring his father back. He'd been terrified that he was suffering in hell for his sins. But now, Bae just felt bad.

"What's the matter, child?" Gabriel asked.

"Well, it was me that brought him back. And now I know he would have gone to heaven. I dragged him out of paradise and into hell. All that crap happened to him because I brought him back, and now, even when it's over, he's hurting so bad. I just… It was my fault."

"Alright, I'm shuttin' this down right now. Kiddo, how were you supposed to know? He's a _Dark One_. It's easy for you little ol' mortals to think he'd go downstairs. Besides, Zelena tricked you. How were you supposed to know it was a trap? She lured you in like a venus flytrap. You fell for it, as most people would, and she snapped her jaws shut."

"I should have listened to Belle and thought it through."

"And the Germans should have listened to common sense and not let the Nazis into power. No use cryin' over spilled milk, kiddo. All you can do now is clean up the mess."

"Thanks, Puriel."

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to be good with Mortals." Gabriel said. "Welcome to the 21st century, Gabe." Puriel said. "Well kiddo, we got to get back to heaven. I don't want poor Dokiel to get overworked."

"Thank you again, _both of you_. I needed that. I feel much better. Stronger, too. Now get back to heaven before someone starts to miss you."

"Goodbye, Baelfire." Gabriel said. "Adios, kiddo! Oh! I almost forgot! Bae, you must keep a close watch on your Papa. Big G has a pretty good feeling that he's going to try once he realized Belle knows you-know-what. And God's never been wrong before. If he tries, and he will, use every ounce of power you've got to stop him or bring someone to him to stop him. Belle would be good. She's got a half-decent arm and she can talk him out of just about anything. Olivia, the SVU detective, is a good one, too. She knows more ways to pin a man down than I've got feathers, and she knows rape victims. Her mother was one, and her father was the rapist. That's what got her into SVU."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. I'll go to him right now. He's… at my grave, again. I haven't gotten to see him because I've been so busy with Zelena and Belle."

"Well, skidaddle!" Puriel said.

Baelfire did just that.

His Papa was sitting cross-legged in front of his grave. A position that Bae knew he was in quite often. A fresh bouquet of roses sat at the head of his grave. That was nice of him. Bae always liked it when someone thought to bring him flowers to remember him.

"I'm sorry, Bae." Rumpelstiltskin said.

 _"You don't have to be sorry, Papa. I love you."_ Baelfire said. But for once, his Papa could not hear him.

* * *

 ** _Yowzas, that was a long one! And so much fun to write! Just so ya'll are clear, Gabriel is generally God's messenger, he's the one that told Mary and Joseph Jesus was to be born. Puriel and Dokiel are the Angels of judgement and punishment. They decide if you're going to heaven or hell. Puriel is described as being fiery and pitiless. The name can be interpreted as masculine or feminine, so I just made her a girl. If any readers don't believe in God or are of a different religion (hey, chef don't judge, I am okay with EVERYBODY), just ignore that whole part and don't get mad at me for including it. There won't be any more religion-based stuff in this fic, promise._**

 ** _So, what did you think of it? How will Belle react to the evidence in the next chapter? What will Rumple do? What will Bae do? What will anyone do? See you next time!_**

 ** _And seriously! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!_**

 ** _-alphashley14_**


	6. Chapter 6: Sorry

**Sorry for the long wait, I got stuck in writer's block.** **Warning: Triggers ahead. There, you have been warned. Happy LATE Christmas, New Year, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day!**

* * *

 **Belle Gold**

 _How could they not tell me?_

That question rang through Belle's mind over and over the entire way to the sheriff's station. The Wicked Witch of the West _raped_ her husband, the love of her life, and they _didn't bother to tell her?_ Belle knew she was angry deep down. She was mad at Emma for telling everyone except her and for telling everyone at all (this was obviously a very private matter that should have been brought to her immediately so the best thing _for Rumple_ could have been done). She was mad at everyone else for helping Emma keep this from her, she didn't know why she was mad at Olivia Benson and the rest of the mysterious SVU team, but she was. She was _boiling_ over the fact that Zelena had had the _audacity_ , the _evil_ in her soul to do such horrible things to her Rumple in the first place, but most of all… she was mad at herself.

 _How could I have been so stupid? I knew something was wrong with him, I just knew it! Yet I said and did nothing! I should have pushed! I should have asked him about it! He was held captive for a year by a maniacal, sadistic b***h whom I knew had a creepy, obsessive crush on him! How did I not put two and two together? He needed- needs therapy whether he was- oh God- or not! Dear Lord, he was- oh Rumple! I thought you'd gotten bored of me! I was so stupid and selfish! I'm so sorry!_

Yes, Belle was angry. But right now… everything just felt numb. The car pulled up to the curb, Emma and Olivia got out, and Belle followed suit. She really didn't know what she was doing, anymore. Her body felt like a machine blindly following orders. _Emma's leading me inside. One foot in front of the other._ She wasn't fully aware of what was happening or if she had any perception of time. She absentmindedly acknowledged the fact that Emma had sat her down in the chair behind the Sheriff's desk, and now Emma and Olivia were each on their respective cell phones. The next thing she knew, everyone was there. Everyone who knew. Most people she knew, some she didn't. She knew Emma, Charming, Snow, Henry, Regina, Robin, Archie, Ruby, and the Seven Dwarves. She _didn't_ know Olivia Benson or the seven other members of the New York Justice Department standing with her.

Someone was talking to her. She looked up. It was Snow. "-and we're going to do everything in our power to help you get through thi-"

"How could you not tell me?" Belle interrupted.

There was silence. Belle decided to change tactics. "You know what, never mind. I think I can guess. 'No one wanted to tell the wife that her husband was raped.' Well, that's that. Now, _spill_. What did that woman do to Rumple?"

"Mrs. Gold, I would like to start by apologizing. I'm the head of this Unit, I was not aware that you didn't know." A bald SVU member said. "My name is Captain Donald Cragen, SVU. These are Detectives Elliot Stabler, Fin Tutuola, John Munch, and you've already met Olivia Benson. That's our psychiatrist and criminal profiler, Dr. George Huang, and that's Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot. We have one more here, Dr. Warner, our forensics specialist, but she's not here. She's at the hospital working on the evidence with Dr. Whale helping her."

"Thank you for coming. I hold no grudge against you at all. You're just doing your job. Know that whatever I am about to say is _not_ directed at any of you. In fact, it might be best that you just leave the room for a minute or two. _Kay_?"

The SVU detectives looked at each other with a knowing look. 'Oh, they are about to get it.' And without a word, left the room post-haste. Belle sat there for a moment with her legs crossed, hands together. Then, she spoke. "What. The actual. _F***_?" She yelled the last word. Most everyone flinched. "What the hell is wrong with you? You knew- no, you even _suspected_ that Rumple, _my husband_ , the _love of my life_ , was raped and didn't bother to tell me? And what's worse? You called the police, a unit from out of town with nothing to do with us whatsoever, without the consent of the victim, and have been invading his privacy since you got here, haven't you? _Investigating_?"

"Belle, no evidence was taken illegally and Emma, a member of his family, filed a report to SVU. Technically, whether it was the victim that reported it or not, it's legal." Charming said, defending his daughter.

"STILL! You could have _and_ should have come to me _immediately_! You know how private Rumple is! If he doesn't want you to know something, you usually don't find out! And all of you know that I am better at getting through to him than anyone! He would only ever get help if I asked him to and you know it! And oh God, I don't even want to know what this is doing to _him_! Imagine how much pain he's going through! How embarrassed he must be to know that you're all investigating… _this_! Let me guess, he's isolated himself. I know he's certainly been doing it to me! He's so distant… Rumple, oh _God_!"

"Belle, I need you to just breathe, and remain calm." Archie said, attempting to calm the furious wife-of-the-victim, but Belle was having none of it.

"Remain calm? REMAIN CALM? My husband was _RAPED_! Now show me the damn evidence!" She screeched. She saw Henry cover his ears. She forced herself to say in a nice voice, "Henry, would you please just step outside with SVU, I'm mad at the adults, not you." Henry nodded quickly and hastily left the room before she changed her mind, with a sympathetic look thrown in the direction of his family. As soon as the door shut, Belle continued her rampage. "And _Hook_. Seriously, _Hook_. The man who's spent hundreds of years hating and trying to kill Rumple, who almost succeeded during the Cora crisis, and who tried to kill me, you told _him_ before you told me? What the f*** were you thinking? That's why he's locked away on his ship, isn't it? He's probably plotting something. Some way to use this to hurt my Rumple again!"

"He did refuse to help, and he's an asshole for that, but he's a changed man. I don't think he'd go that fa-" Emma started.

"Oh sure, says the one that was _sleeping with him!_ "

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there. We kissed a few times, but we never-, I never let him-"

"I'm a virgin." Belle said aloud. Everyone stopped talking and stared at her, mouths agape. "Yeah, you heard me. I'm a god-damned virgin." Belle sat back in her seat and chuckled to herself, perhaps the sudden shock of anger and stress was getting to her. The anger was leaving, and now everything was going numb again.

"Belle, even before all this, didn't you two ever-" Snow started to ask. "No, she's telling the truth. I can smell it. Definitely a virgin." Ruby said.

"I'm not going to hesitate in admitting it: Rumple's old. His body is young, but both it and his soul have been walking the Earth a very long time, you all know that. He's old, and old-fashioned. If I had a penny for every time I tried, every time I asked, every time we got _this close_ to doing it… He wouldn't do it until we were married. He always said he'd marry me someday, he was just waiting for a day when he was sure it was going to be safe and calm for us for a while. When he proposed, I was so _happy_! Because all I wanted was to be with him, _forever_. On our wedding night, we _started_ , he must have been trying so hard to keep it together, _for me_. But his shirt wasn't even off, and he backed out. I never knew why, he never gave a reason." Belle crossed her arms on the table and buried her face in them. The numbness was going away, and she was suddenly feeling a sadness like she hadn't felt since Rumple had died. "Now I know why! I scared the _shit_ out of him! He must have been so terrified! So… afraid." Belle looked up at them. Lord, she must have looked awful. "How are we ever supposed to have children… if Rumpelstiltskin, the only man I'd ever bear a child for, is terrified of having sex?"

That was it. She had nothing left to say. Belle buried her head back in her arms, and sobbed. There was a horrible silence around her, everyone was just staring at each other, unsure what to do. Belle heard the door creak open, a few footsteps, a pair of small arms wrapped around her, and a head rested on her shoulder. _Henry._ Of course he'd be the one to do what no one else had even moved to do.

Belle pulled herself back together and raised her head to look at them. "Now show me the damn evidence!"

After a quick and silent drive to the hospital, they showed her the evidence all right, _all of it_. At the hospital, she had an _informative_ chat with Dr. Warner and Dr. Whale, and yes, had looked at the damn evidence. Which was why she was currently sitting in a chair in the waiting room curled up in a ball, staring blankly at the adjacent wall. She was pretty sure she was going insane. Or was that just the shock?

Elliot Stabler, one of the detectives, was sitting a few chairs away from her, occasionally throwing her a glance like he was sure she was a grenade about to explode, or opening his mouth like he wanted to say something, but didn't.

After some time, Olivia Benson traded places with him. And unlike her partner, she did speak. "Hey." She greeted.

"Hi." Belle greeted back curtly, not tearing her eyes away from the wall. There was a moment of silence, and Olivia tried again.

"You know, I know how you feel." Olivia said. "Shock, rage, confusion, some self-loathing. There are a _lot_ of people who have felt exactly as you do. I'm one of them."

"You do _not_ know how I feel." Belle said, looking over at her. She didn't mean to put quite _that_ much venom in her voice, but with the mood she was in at that moment, Hades himself would run like hell from her wrath.

Olivia didn't even flinch. "Yes, I do know." Something about the tone of her voice made Belle pay attention.

"I was born February seventh, 1968. My mother was working as a cafeteria worker at Columbia University. She was also a rape victim. My father was a food salesman named Joseph Hollister, her rapist. He was a serial rapist, in fact. He raped three women between 1967 and 1969. My Mother always resented me for it, to an extent. I know she loved me, but I was abused both mentally and physically as a child. When I was old enough to understand such things, my Mother sat me down and told me. How do you think I felt when I was told that my father was a rapist who raped my mother and two other women? About as bad as you do now. That's why I joined SVU. To help people like you, your husband, and my Mother, and to put away people like Zelena and my Father."

For a moment, Belle was speechless. "Oh, I'm so sorry." Was all she could say.

"Don't be. I came to terms with it a long time ago. Now, I make it my business to help people like you find peace as well." Olivia said with a smile. "By the way, and, it may or may not be the best time to ask this, but he's some powerful wizard, right? Everyone keeps mentioning a dagger? But I'm not sure I understand what it is. No one explained it to me. Could you?"

Belle sniffed. "It's one of the most important things about what happened last year. I'm shocked no one explained it to you. Rumple is a powerful dark magical being called a Dark One. He's immortal, and his magic is among the strongest in the known universe, aside from Gods. But that comes with a price. There's a demon inside him, and it puts bad thoughts and evil urges in his head. He's learned to control it, for the most part, but it still causes him to do some really bad and really stupid things, sometimes. But I love him to pieces, anyway. As well as that, his very soul is bound to a mystical blade called 'The Dark One Dagger', and whoever has it controls Rumple. Physically _controls_ him. It can't change the way he thinks, but it bends his body and his magic to whoever holds the dagger. Zelena got a hold of it at the beginning of last year, that's how she was able to control him. He had no choice. There was nothing he could have done."

"That's _barbaric_." Olivia said, horrified. "How could you do that to another human being? That's got to be a human rights' violation somehow!"

"I'm so worried about him." Belle said.

"I wish I could say there wasn't a need to worry, but that would be a lie. You have every right to worry, it's a burden, one that _will_ bend you, but for him, and for yourself, you _cannot_ let it break you. Besides, simply the fact that it _is_ a burden is enough to tell you that you love him enough to care, and you're a good person. At least that's a good thing, right?"

 _That_ finally brought a small smile to Belle's face. Maybe it wasn't so bad, having SVU on the case. Belle could only pray Rumple would see it the same way. _Oh, Rumple…_

* * *

 **Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold**

 _He's bound to a chair in the basement of the farmhouse. Zelena said often how much she loved seeing him like that. His hands are tied behind his back, and his feet are tied to the legs of the chair. He wasn't wearing any shoes or socks. She's interrogating him, trying to pick his now sane mind apart like a used lego set._

 _His son was dead. It had been two days, and the shock still had not completely worn off, grief had an icy cold grip on his heart, and it_ hurt _. It hurt his soul more than anything she could ever do to him physically. It felt like someone had taken a blade straight into his heart and twisted it, and twisted it, and the knife was still twisting._

 _It was about a half hour after they'd returned from the showdown, and needless to say, the witch was pissed that she had failed in obtaining her sister's heart. She was taking out her anger on the only living thing in the premises. Guess who that was?_

 _"Tell me how she touches you, your little librarian, what was her name? Belle, was it?" And because she asked while holding the dagger, he had to reply._

 _"We've never done it. We wanted it to be special, I only wanted to do it on our wedding night and after."_

 _Zelena grins like a child with a new toy at the news, with this new piece of information to tear his mind apart with. "Really, well I'd like to see you bring yourself to do it now, dog. You filthy little cheater." She taunted._

 _"I d-didn't cheat. You… you forced me to. I'd never-"_

 _She grabbed his jaw roughly, silencing him, "You keep telling yourself that, coward."_

 _She took a step back and looked at him with a thoughtful expression on her face. She grinned. Oh, this was going to be bad. She waved her hand, and he was suddenly blindfolded._

 _"Hmmm… how old are you, Dark one?" She asked. And because she asked while holding the dagger, he had no choice other than to obey._

 _"I am Five-hundred twenty-five years old, Zelena."_

 _"Hmmm… and how old is she, your little librarian?"_

 _"Belle is thirty-five, Zelena."_

 _He couldn't see it, as he was blindfolded, but he could feel the evil grin that was being sent his way. "Why, thirty-five fits into five-hundred twenty-five perfectly! This is going to be fun!"_

 _A few seconds of silence passed. Rumple started to think she'd left. "Zelen-AAAAAAUGH!"_

 _He suddenly felt a blinding pain in his left foot and he screamed like a wounded animal. He then realized he couldn't feel his big toe. Then she took off his index toe, then his middle toe, then his fourth toe, then his pinkie toe. Over the near-deafening sounds of his own screaming, Rumple could faintly hear the snapping, popping, and sickening crunching sounds of the torture devices going through his flesh and bones like scissors through paper._

 _"What. Is five-hundred twenty five, minus thirty-five, Rumple?"_

 _Rumple couldn't speak, he was sobbing so hard from the pain. The tears were soaking his blindfold through._

 _He felt that same blinding pain on his left hand and screeched._

 _"Every bloody time you don't answer me, I take one of your f***ing fingers off, you little imp!"_

 _Rumple's mind scrambled to do the math. "F-f-four-h-h-h-hundred ni-ninety!" He sobbed._

 _"Say my name, coward! Who is your master? Address me by my name when you speak to me!" Another one of his fingers disappeared in a sudden blinding burst of agony, punishment for his disrespect. Rumple threw his head back and screamed._

 _"F-four-hundred ninety, ZELENA!" He sobbed._

 _"Good boy."Zelena purred._

 _Then, agony struck his right foot. Big, index, middle, fourth, pinkie, snap, pop, crrrrunch! SCREAM! His mind screeched at him._ "Pass out! Blood loss, pain, from either is fine, just pass out so you don't feel it anymore!"

 _"What's four-hundred ninety minus thirty-five?" His mind scrambled to do the math._

 _"F-four-h-h-hundred f-f-f-fifty-f-five, Zel-Zelena."_

 _She used magic to re-grow his missing appendages, with no scars left behind… then repeated the process. Taking the toes off of each foot, fingers, too, if he was too slow, making him countdown by 35 from 525. Over and over and over again._

 _During about the fifth or sixth time, his mind started to go blurry, his eyes saw stars, his head started to droop, but Zelena screeched, "OH NO YOU DON'T!" And with a wave of her hand, he was wide-awake again. Unconsciousness had been only a split-second away, he had been so close! "You will take your punishment like a man, Imp! Coward! Dark One! Slut!_ Slave _!" And she took one of his fingers off for almost passing out! Had anyone with a heart heard him, his screams of agony would surely have traumatized them. "That's right! Scream, Dark One! It's not like anyone can_ hear _you! No one but_ me _! Let me hear your agony!"_

 _She'd leave for minutes at a time, to wash the blood off her hands. Leaving him to think about and dread her return, and linger on the lingering agony in his hands and feet._

 _It was during one of these 'breaks' that his mind was clear enough to realize why she was making him countdown. She didn't want each time to blend into each other. She wanted him to focus on and remember each time. Using a usually loved number, the age of his beloved Belle, as a weapon to inflict misery upon him._

 _"F-four-hundred t-t-twenty, Ze-Ze-Zelena!"_

 _"Thr-three-hun-hundred eighty-f-f-five, Zelena!"_

 _"Three-h-h-hundred f-f-f-fifty, Ze-Zel-Zelena!"_

 _"Three-h-hun-hundred fi-fif-fifteen, Zelena!"_

 _He screamed, he screeched, he moaned, he wailed. He_ begged _for death. But she refused. Over and over and over!_

 _Over and over and over, she made him count all the way down to zero. And once he finally cried out, "Z-z-zero, Zelena! P-please STOP! Please! I beg you! Zelena!_ Please _!", once the agony was making him see stars sparkling across his vision, when he had lost more blood than he knew he had, only then did she heal his wounds one last time… Then she ripped his ropes off, threw his useless, in-shock body onto the floor into a pool of his own blood… and raped him._

Rumpelstiltskin woke with a start from his nightmare, in his armchair in his living room, covered in sweat, with salty tears streaming down his face. _Why? Why can't I catch so much as a catnap without memories like_ that _resurfacing?_ Rumple wondered. His next thought, however, was very different.

 _Wait, what's that auburn hair doing here? Oh, wait, Belle!_

Yes, apparently in his sleep, his beloved Belle had curled up like a kitten in his lap, her head resting on his chest, and he had unconsciously wrapped his arms around her in his slumber. It would have been a sweet sight, if not for the fact that Rumple's mind was racing, and his heart was pounding, and not for the right reasons.

 _Oh my God, I was_ asleep _, having a_ nightmare _, with absolutely no space between me and_ Belle _! Oh God! One astray spell! One false move! I could have killed her! Oh, my Belle! If I killed you, it would kill me!_

Belle shifted in her sleep, her fingers digging into the fabric of his black suit. She shifted so that the light leaking in from the window reflected off of the tear marks on her face. Wait- what?

Belle had been… _crying. **Why** was Belle crying?_ Rumple felt a rush of anger. _Why_ was his Belle _crying_? Who or what had thought it had the _audacity_ to make his beautiful, perfect, smart, funny, _precious_ Belle, _cry_? But still, he was too frightened and upset at the moment to make that anger last long.

Rumple used his thumb to gently wipe the wet from her perfect face, and pulled her even closer to him, trying hard not to cry. _Don't you dare cry this close to her. If she wakes and sees you, she'll ask why, then what will you do?_ He'd find out why she was upset later. For now, he buried his face in her hair and took several deep, slow breaths, forcing himself to calm down, enjoying the _smell_ of her, the feeling of her heart beating a few inches away from his own, her presence close to him. His Belle. Always his Belle.

 _That's why you can never find out, dearie. I love you too much, you can never know what she did to me, what she made me do to her. You'd leave me if you did. No one can ever know… I just hope Emma can keep her head out of my business, and the SVU team leaves so I can keep my secret the way it is… a secret._

Belle woke up some time later. She groaned and opened her beautiful blue eyes, looking up at him sleepily. "Lo' Rumple." She sat up and stretched. "Sorry, you were sleeping, and you looked so comfortable. I guess I just felt like joining you." She said.

"It certainly was a pleasant surprise, waking up to see my beautiful Belle in my arms. But I hate to say it, but my leg _is_ starting to cramp." He said.

"Oh! Sorry." Belle said, hastily getting off of him. Rumple stretched and stood up. He noticed Belle was looking at him funny, and kept opening and closing her mouth like she wanted to say something.

Rumple laughed. "Ye look a bit like a flounder, dearie. If ye got something to tell me, my beautiful Belle, you can always tell me."

"Ohit'snothingRumplethere'sjustbeenlessandlesspeoplecomingtothelibrarywitheveryonestillgettingoverthewarwithZelenaisall!" She said very quickly.

She was lying. Rumple smiled, took a few steps forward, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Belle, I noticed ye had tear-stains on yer cheeks, dearie. A shortage of people visiting the library couldn't possibly upset ye so. Tell me what's wrong, my Belle, and let me fix it for you." He purred in her ear.

"Really, it's nothing, Rumple. Would you please just drop it?" Belle asked. Okay, now he _knew_ something was seriously up. He elected not to press further, and decided to ask her about it during dinner.

They ended up putting in a movie, Godzilla (2016), and they snuggled up on the couch together with a bowl of popcorn. Rumple could have stayed there forever. Curled up, warm, and comfortable, _safe_ , far away from _her_ , with his Belle.

No war to deal with, no cages, no spinning wheels, no evil witches coming to hurt him, nor anyone he loved. No evil witches coming to _touch_ him, coming to rip his clothes off and force him to do things. Bad things. Things he didn't want to do!

 _No! Don't let your mind wander there, Rumple. This is nice. You love this moment, safe with Belle, don't let the memories ruin it! Focus on the movie. Just focus on the Goddamn movie! Look at that, wow! Godzilla's coming out of the ocean! He's so big, he's making a tidal wave! The people are running, though I doubt they truly know the meaning of fear- CUT IT OUT! Okay, there's an airport, I've seen this, I know this, there's one of his giant-ass feet, emphasizing how freaking big he is, soldiers on the roof, flares. Wow. No matter how many times I see this, the CGI is just incredible. He's so real looking…_

After that, he managed to keep his focus on the film, and of course on his wife. When the movie ended, it was about six o'clock. Rumple and Belle left the living room for the kitchen, agreed that a chicken pot pie sounded good for dinner, and a few minutes later, Belle was using a fork to shred some canned chicken, and Rumple was using a kitchen knife to chop some carrots. Rumple was humming the original 'Godzilla' theme, as since he'd watched a Godzilla movie and it had popped into his head, it was now stuck there. But the humming was an unconscious action, his mind was on his wife. _Something_ was eating her alive. And she wouldn't tell him what. Which in turn was eating _him_ alive, and he didn't like that. Not one bit. Rumple wanted to say something, desperately. But he was trying to figure out what statement wouldn't make her brush him off again.

"R-Rumple?" Belle asked behind him.

"Yes, Belle?" Rumple replied.

"Um, I have something I need to ask you."

 _Oh, shit._ He really hoped this wasn't about sex. He'd _tried_ , he really _did_ , he _wanted_ to, but every time he got close, all he saw was _her_ , and he had to break it off. But Belle didn't know that. What if she lost interest in him? What if his marriage fell apart just like it had with Milah because he was a wounded, crippled, _coward_.

Rumple gave a slight shudder and shook those thoughts to the back of his mind. Focus on Belle. Keep the mask on. Hide the truth. Keep the secret. _Keep the secret._

"What is it, Belle? You know you can alway ask me anything." Rumple said.

 _Dude! What are you doing? You're blowing this! What am I supposed to say? I don't even know what she sees in me to make her like me in the first place! Fine! Fine! It's okay! As long as she doesn't throw me any curveballs or mention last year, I think we're good._

"Well, you see, we need to talk about… _last year_ , Rumple." Belle said. Rumple paused, then forced himself to keep chopping vegetables. Belle kept talking. "We never talked about it. I mean, She held you prisoner in that horrible little cell for a year, she killed your son. I don't want you to develop PTSD or something. I don't want you to end up like a volcano, all that pressure."

 _F***! Why the hell is she asking this? Belle's totally in the dark about last year! Why would she ask that of all things? What do I do, now? Hell if I know! All of the police shows cut to credits at this point! No one blows off something like this in the movies! They answer honestly at this point! But we're not going to! Besides, we're already a volcano soon to blow, dearie. But she asked me a question, so I have to say something! Just say anything! Wait, anything? Yes! Anything! Anything that shuts this discussion down! Just… say it with confidence. Alright, here goes…_

And yet, he found himself saying, "Alright Dearie, let's talk about it."

 _NOOOOOOOO! When I said say anything, I meant anything but that, obviously! I'm sorry! I don't do well under pressure! It's fine! I'll just… play it off as a joke! No harm done. Make an excuse. There's no escape now! Yes there is! Find a way out! Burn the pie on purpose! The pie's not made yet! FIGURE SOMETHING OUT!_

"Alright… now, let's talk about last year. Please turn around and talk to me, Rumple."

 _FOOL! YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL! There's no escape! Freaking_ run _! Mayday! Mayday! Losing altitude! Impact is imminent!_

Despite the panic surging in his chest, Rumple managed to keep his face passive as he stopped chopping, put down the knife, and turned to face Belle.

"What do you want me to say, Belle?" Rumple asked.

"I don't know. Talk about how you feel. What happened? I just want you to talk to me."

 _Maybe I should tell her. NO! Are you out of your straw-spinning mind?!_

"Did she feed you right? Did she beat you? Did she ever physically hurt you? Did she tell you things? I just want to make sure you're alright, Rumple."

"Where is this even coming from, Belle?" Rumple asked.

"People have been talking and… Rumple, did she ever… _touch_ you?"

Rumple felt his heart stop… then break.

 _Sheknowssheknowssheknowssheknows! Filthy! Disgusting! Tainted! Cheater! Coward! Cripple! Monster! Unworthy! She won't stop touching me! Touching! Touching! Laughing! Scratching! Help me! Get away from me! Get away! GET AWAY! Sheknowssheknowssheknowssheknows! SHE KNOWS! Get away! Run! RUN!_

Without further hesitation, Rumple disappeared in a cloud of red-violet smoke. He reappeared on the edge of town by the ruins of Henry's old 'castle'. No sooner than he did, he ran to the nearest public trash can and threw up the few contents of his stomach.

 _"Ruuuummmmple, I'm coming to get you!" She taunts, twirling the dagger in her fingers, staring at him hungrily. Rumple curls up in a ball in a corner of his cage and prays to whatever God that's listening (like God cared about him anymore, with everything he'd done) to make her go away, to make it all go away and have it be a bad dream. No such thing happens. She enters his cage, throws him to the floor, and touches him! Touches him! EVERYWHERE! Makes him touch her! Touch her! EVERYWHERE! Stop! Make it stop! "What would Belle say? What would Belle say? She'll hate you! She'll leave you! Coward!"_

 _RUN! FREAKING RUN!_

As soon as Rumple stopped coughing on his own bile, he did just that. His mind was in a daze, and his feet were pounding against the pavement with no destination. There were hot, salty tears streaming down his face. Cold bit at his ears, nose, and cheeks, but he barely felt it. Curse his immortality! He wanted nothing more at that moment than to die. He wanted to die! He didn't care anymore.

 _Sheknowssheknowssheknows!_

He changed course towards his shop, stumbling once or twice. Belle had the dagger hidden, there. Under a spell that only she or Rumple could retrieve it. He'd made it his business to know where she hid it, just in case, but he hadn't so much as touched the vile thing since he'd given it to her. He'd promised not to take it, he'd entrusted it to her, but he was going to take it, and he was going to _use it._

 _I'm sorry, Belle._

Rumple slammed into the front door of his shop, not remembering that it was closed and locked up. With a wave of his hand, the door disappeared! That wasn't what he meant to do! He'd been trying to unlock the door, not destroy it! Lord, he was so f***ed up, even his magic wasn't working right! But he didn't care anymore!

Rumple stumbled through the doorway and staggered into the back room. He dropped to his knees and ripped the floorboards open to reveal the place his love had hidden his dagger so well. He pulled the long ebony knife case out of the floor and his shaking hands opened it. He saw the Dark One Dagger lying there on the red velvet. His heart began to pound.

 _She teased him, the dagger a meere inch in front of his face as she worked at the buttons on his trousers. "Please, Zelena, no. I don't want to." He whimpered. She grinned, pressing the blade to his throat. "You're a slave, a_ slut _, and a coward. 'No' means nothing. It is not in your dictionary anymore, so get used to it,_ Dark One _." She snarled, pulling the zipper down so fast and hard he heard it snap. Rumple closed his eyes, and felt the tears falling._

Rumple shut his eyes tight and forced his shaking fingers to grasp the hilt of the blade, pulling it out into the light. He stood up on wobbly legs and moved over so his body would fall on the couch in the back. Rumple quickly decided the best place for this wretched object was buried in his cold, black, broken heart. It was pounding. He wanted it to stop! He wanted it to be quiet! He wanted the memories to stop! He wanted the pain to stop! He just wanted to stop and be at peace! He wanted… to _die._

"Belle, I l-love you so m-m-much." He sobbed, "B-but I c-can't do it, anymore. You're g-going to leave me, and I c-can't bear it. It's n-not like you'll m-m-miss me. You'll m-move on with s-s-someone better, stronger, not so… _f-f-filthy_.

"H-Henry, I'm s-sorry y-y-you had to be b-born with the sh-shame of b-being my gr-grandson. Ye deserve b-b-better than me. I'm s-s-sorry. But I love you. I d-d-don't t-tell you that e-enough, but I-I do.

"B-Bae, S-Son, if you're l-l-listening, I'm s-s-sorry your s-s-sacrifice was in v-vain, but I w-w-wasn't worth b-bringing back in the f-first place! I l-love you s-s-so much. I g-g-get lonelier every d-day without you. I d-don't even know why or h-how life was w-worth l-living before that night I held y-you in my arms, and y-you grabbed my nose, and I f-fell in l-love. And n-now you're g-gone, and it just h-h-hurts. And I'm a-all alo-alone again. You were b-born a c-c-coward's s-son, and I'm SORRY!" Rumple sobbed, and he almost collapsed.

"I'm _sorry._ "

Rumple raised the dagger high, with the blade pointed at its destination. He screamed at the top of his lungs, "I'M SORRY!" And started to drive it home-

But then someone slammed into his side, and knocked the dagger out of his grasp, and wrestled him to the floor. Rumple looked back at who had interrupted him and realized with a jolt that it was one of the out-of-town guests, from SVU. One of the two he'd met in front of his shop, in fact: Detective Olivia Benson.

"Get OFF ME! Get off! Give it back! Leave me alone!" Rumple roared, fighting her hold. She was smaller than him, but a hell of a lot stronger and tougher. "No! You don't want this! You're not thinking straight!" Benson yelled. Rumple threw an elbow back and it caught her jaw. She loosened her hold enough for him to wriggle mostly free, his outstretched hand reaching for the cursed blade. Olivia grabbed his arm and pulled it back, she was wrestling her way over to the knife, too. She was going to get it! She was going to use it! She was going to control him! She was going to _touch_ him! Rumple called his magic, but with how mentally and emotionally unstable he was, it wasn't working! Rumple screamed like a crazed animal and went into a frenzy, punching her, scratching at anything he could get his fingernails to dig into, dragging her back and away from the object of his destruction. The contents of a nearby trashcan caught on fire, different devices started turning on and off of their own accord, a jug of water began to boil, and the lights flickered. Olivia made little effort to defend herself, but sent a well-aimed kick that caught him on the shoulder, sent him back another foot, and disoriented him long enough for her fingers to close around the hilt.

Rumple stopped fighting, after that. He just stared in shock at the Dark One Dagger in her hand. It was over. It was going to happen again. Olivia scrambled away from him and stood up. Rumple followed suit, leaning heavily on a table to support his weight. "P-please. W-w-why? I want to _die_. W-why w-won't y-you let me die?" Rumple asked with a sob. "W-why d-does everyone w-want t-to h-hurt me?"

* * *

 **Olivia Benson**

She didn't really know how she'd ended up in Mr. Gold's Pawnshop, and there wasn't time to wonder. One moment, she'd been at the hospital, talking to Huang about the victim and his wife, the next second, there was a burst of cold air, everything went black, a man's voice screamed, _"OLIVIA, STOP HIM!"_ , and suddenly, she was in the doorway, listening to one of the saddest suicide monologues she'd ever heard. The knife started to come down, and Olivia's reflexes kicked in from there, she tackled him to the ground before he could do something he'd regret, and you know the rest.

"P-please. W-w-why? I want to _die._ W-why w-won't y-you let me die?" Mr. Gold asked with a sob. "W-why d-does everyone w-want t-to h-hurt me?" That _voice_ was the embodiment of human suffering. Olivia felt the familiar sensation of her heart breaking just looking at this lost, broken, teary-eyed, desperate soul. In her line of work, it had become familiar. Olivia wanted nothing more than to reach out and _hug_ him and hold him close until it didn't hurt anymore, but she couldn't. Why? _Why_ were people so _cruel,_ so _evil_ to each other that they left others in such a state?

"Because I know that you don't really want to die." Olivia said, her arms out in a defensive, calming manner. "And there are a lot of people in this town that _love_ you, _care_ about you and want to _help_ you and who would be _devastated_ if anything happened to you. And do you see this?" Olivia asked, showing him the dagger, "I'm not going to use this." Olivia said, sticking it in her belt and immediately putting her hand out again. "Because bad people have used this too many times to hurt too many people, including you. It's barbaric and it's wrong. And I'd never do that." And she meant that… every word.

"W-who c-cares about me?" Rumple sniffed.

Olivia did not even hesitate in her response, but kept her voice calm and soothing, like talking to a frightened child. "Henry, your grandson. He loves you, so much. He's been helping us, and he's so angry at Zelena for what she did. He wants to help. And unlike what you seem to think, he's so _proud_ to be your grandson." Olivia said. "And Belle, your wife. I saw the look on her face when she found out what happened to you, and she's _heartbroken_ that you're in pain. She _loves_ you. She doesn't blame you! There was _nothing_ you could have done."

Rumple didn't say anything, he just kept crying, avoiding looking at her, occasionally wiping at his tears with his sleeve. Olivia kept up a steady, calm, soothing mantra of "It's okay, it's alright. No one is going to hurt you. It's going to be alright."

Then, just as abruptly as he had appeared, Rumpelstiltskin Gold disappeared in a cloud of red-violet smoke. Immediately, everything turned off again, the water jug stopped boiling, and the lights remained consistently on. Olivia quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and extinguished the burning trash can before it spread.

Olivia's phone buzzed in her pocket. With a heavy, relieved sigh, Olivia removed the dagger from her belt and set it down next to her at the same time she collapsed on the sofa. She pulled out her cell and answered it. It was Stabler.

"Hey, Elliot."

 _"Olivia! Thank God! What happened to you? You vanished into thin air!"_

"I'm at Mr. Gold's Pawnshop. I don't know what happened, but listen, this situation just got that much more delicate." Olivia said.

 _"How the hell could it possibly get_ more _delicate?"_ Elliot asked through the phone.

"Because our victim just tried to commit suicide."

* * *

 **Wow. I had to go to some DARK places to get that. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave me a review if you want more and I'll see you next time!**

 **Ooh! And before I forget: putting this little fact on here in honor of the subject. Rape is now punishable by death in India!... If the victim was a female minor. As of 2013, rape was already punishable by death, but** _ **"only if the perpetrator inflicts injuries that result in the victim's death or incapacitation to a persistent vegetative state, or if the perpetrator is a repeat offender."**_ **But still, _progress_. **

**And guys, seriously, if you are or have been raped or sexually assaulted, GO TELL SOMEONE! GET HELP! Someone out there cares about you, no matter how bleak it looks! If a friend tells you they've been raped, go tell the proper authorities! If you see something that could or is turning into a possible rape, SPEAK UP! STAND UP! IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE! All of this is also applicable if you are or think you are suicidal. Go get help! Someone will listen! Someone cares! Someone loves you! Think of all the friends and loved ones who will cry and scream in anguish and grief when you are gone! Your life isn't really yours... it's theirs. You have to live for THEM even if you don't want to live for YOURSELF! If a friend of yours tells you they are suicidal or shows signs of suicide, GO TELL SOMEONE WHO CAN AND WILL HELP THEM IMMEDIATELY! Their lives may depend on it! And I am not pulling this crap out of the air, I mean it! SPEAK UP!**

 **So, anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave some nice, long reviews if you want more. I love hearing from you! What you liked/didn't like. And I will try to post another chapter as soon as I can. See ya next time, _Dearies_!**

 **-alphashley14**


	7. Chapter 7: Forever

_Hey, sorry it's been awhile. I'd like to start off by saying thanks to all who reviewed! There's lots of hurt/comfort, romance, and Rumbelle in this chapter! I totally loved writing it! Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Belle Gold**

"Shit."

When your mentally abused, traumatized husband is missing and you hear one of the detectives looking for him simply say, "Shit", after asking _'How the hell could it (the situation) possibly get more delicate'_ , 'concern' doesn't even _begin_ to cover it. It's more like _terror_. That was the emotion that gripped Belle when she heard Elliot Stabler mutter " _Shit_ ", into the phone.

"When and where did you see him?" Elliot asked into the phone. Belle of course, couldn't hear Olivia's answer.

"And you have the… Dark One Dagger, thing?" Elliot asked through the phone.

Belle felt her heart stop for the second or third time that day. _Oh Rumple, please tell me you didn't…_

"If she has the dagger, tell her to not take her hand off of it for a second! If I had a nickel for the number of bad people who'd love to get their hands on that thing, I'd be a millionaire! Seriously! Tell Olivia to have her gun loaded and drawn. I'll be over there as soon as possible to get it put in the vault, it's magic and only Rumple or I can get in there." Belle said.

Elliot relayed her message into the phone. "Belle says to not take your hand off it for a second and keep your gun ready because a lot of bad people want it. She also says she'll be at the shop soon to put it in a magic vault." Elliot said slowly. Belle knew he believed in magic, but all this was so overwhelming and _weird_ , she didn't blame him at all for saying it like that.

"Alright, just stay where you are." Elliot said, then he hung up and looked at her.

They were at the hospital in an empty office. Belle had rushed there immediately after Rumple had bolted, knowing that was where most of the SVU team was. She'd finished crying her eyes out, and was trying to be strong, again.

"Belle, I'm very sorry, but Olivia said that-"

"He tried to kill himself, didn't he?" Belle asked, emotionless.

The look on Stabler's face clarified her concern.

Belle felt the cracks on her heart spread even further. H _e tried to kill himself. If it weren't for Olivia, he'd be dead. **Dead**! And there'd be no bringing him back this time! You were always so strong, Rumple. What did she do? What did she do to you that you're so miserable, you tried to die? Please don't leave me, Rumple. I can't live without you._ Belle said to herself. _What did she **do**?_

That was when, at the worst moment possible, Zelena walked past the door, in handcuffs, escorted by Detective Tutuola, Detective Munch, and Charming, on her way to her first interrogation. At the sight of her, that _b***h_ , that _monster_ , that _rapist_ , Belle truly snapped for the first time in her life.

"YOU _B***H_!" Belle screeched, standing up and dashing out the door. Elliot realized what was happening, and before Belle could get within a foot of her, Elliot's arms were around her, holding her back. All the while, Belle was screaming, "YOU B***H! YOU B***H! YOU MANIACAL, SADISTIC _B***H_! HE WAS COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS! COMPLETELY AT YOUR MERCY! HOW COULD YOU?! HE'S NEVER DONE ANYTHING BAD TO YOU IN HIS LIFE! HOW COULD YOU?! YOU KILLED HIS SON AND YOU _RAPED_ HIM! YOU _RAPED_ HIM, YOU _TORTURED_ HIM, AND YOU'RE _PROUD_ OF IT! _HOW COULD YOU?!_ "

And Zelena was grinning at her. Grinning like she'd won some sort of prize. "What's the fun if he can fight back?" The Wicked Witch taunted. "People. Animals. We hurt each other all the time. I was just establishing my dominance over my slave. What's wrong with that? I was just punishing him for choosing Regina to cast the curse, and for daring to choose another, to choose _you_ over me."

"THAT WAS HIS RIGHT! LIFE ISN'T GOING TO GO YOUR WAY AT EVERY TURN, _PRINCESS_! YOU DON'T _RAPE_ , TORTURE, AND _KILL SOMEONE'S SON_ OVER REJECTION, YOU B***H! YOU'RE A _RAPIST_! YOU'RE A **_RAPIST_**!" Belle shrieked, trying to fight free of Elliot, while Fin and Munch dragged Zelena away, and Charming rushed over to help Elliot with Belle.

"Does it piss you off that I banged him before you, you _virgin_?" Zelena yelled at her. "I made him tell me all his little secrets! You should have heard him screaming and begging! And the _whimpering_! _'Please no, Zelena!' 'I'm so sorry, Belle!', 'DON'T TOUCH ME, ZELENA!'_ Honestly, it was _PATHETIC_!"

" **SHUT UP!** " Belle roared. "DON'T YOU _DARE_ TALK ABOUT MY RUMPLE THAT WAY! TRASH LIKE YOU HAS NO RIGHT TO SPEAK HIS NAME, BREATHE THE SAME AIR AS HIM, EVEN _EXIST_!" Belle screeched!

"HERE I AM! DOING ALL THREE, SWEETHEART! RUMPELSTILTSKIN! RUMPELSTILTSKIN! _RUMPELSTILTSKIN_!"

" **SHUT UP!** " Belle roared. But, no more was said, as Zelena was dragged off to the interrogation room, and Belle was dragged back into Dr. Whale's office to calm down.

Elliot and Charming were calling her name urgently, holding her still the best they could. Once Belle finally came back to her senses, she stopped fighting and just went limp. A shaking, angry, upset, sobbing mess in the officers' arms. Asking herself aloud, "Why? Why? Why? Why? _Why_?"

And in an empty office, unseen, Henry Mills Swan was watching, listening.

* * *

 **Henry**

About an hour later, everyone was out looking for Gold. Belle had hidden the dagger once again somewhere she wouldn't disclose if her life depended on it, and everyone that was on the case, the Charmings, Emma, Regina, the Dwarves, Ruby, Archie, and the entire SVU team minus Warner were all out in small groups looking for Rumple.

The first group was composed of Belle, Olivia, and Elliot. The second, Snow, Charming, and Emma. The third, Regina, Fin, Archie, and Munch. The fourth, Ruby and Dr. Huang, the fifth, Robin and Alexandra Cabot (despite being an attorney rather than a field agent, all hands were on deck). Finally, the sixth and seventh groups were composed of the seven dwarves plus Captain Cragen, with Grumpy, Doc, Sleepy, and Cragen on one team, and Dopey, Sneezy, Happy, and Bashful on the other.

 _"Stay at home,"_ they said, _"we'll find him,"_ they said. Henry's reaction: _bullshit_. And so, Henry had snuck out and was doing his own impromptu crusade to look for his Grandpa. The sun was setting low over the horizon, covering Storybrooke in an orange glow. Henry was passing by a thrift shop near the docks, calling out his Grandpa's name, when he heard a distinct knock on one of the windows. Henry looked over… and froze.

There, next to his own reflection, stood a reflection of his Dad, smiling at him. Henry looked to his side, and he was alone, but looking at the glass, there stood Baelfire, one hand in his pocket, the other waving at him. Neal made a motion with his head as if to say, _'follow me'_ , and started to jog away from Henry. Henry ran to keep up, he ran to keep up with his father's spirit, and the ghost in the window began to run as well. "Dad! Dad! Wait! Don't go! I need you!" Henry called, but Bae didn't even pause to listen.

Henry reached the end of the street, and the windows ended, along with his Dad's image. Rather, a beautiful glowing blue orb of spiritual light came out of the window and started going down the street at the same speed his Dad had been running. Henry paused to let that process, then ran even faster after his father's ghost. Each time there was a window, Baelfire let Henry see him, and when one wasn't available, the spirit orb appeared for Henry to follow. Finally, at the center of town, the spirit orb stopped.

They were in the square where the showdown had taken place, right across the street from the clocktower. The spirit orb started moving more slowly this time, and Henry followed it. It did a few quick laps around the streetlight next to the door leading inside the clocktower/library, before it disappeared. The door to the clocktower opened _by itself_. It was then that Henry noticed (how had he not noticed it before?) that the hands on the clocktower clock were moving in an _incredibly_ fast orbit. _Accidental magic,_ Henry thought.

"It's Grandpa, isn't it, Dad? You led me right to him, didn't you?" His answer: a coldness and pressure encircling his right hand and pulling him forward, like a cold, dead hand had grabbed Henry's own and was pulling him forward, and a burst of cold air blowing at his back, urging him forward. Henry complied. There was a window on the door, as he passed it, he could see his Dad walking beside him. Henry was filled with determination, and he stepped into the clocktower.

His father's icy wind changed course, sending Henry to the stairs, and as Henry started towards them, he felt a certain someone grab the collar of his shirt and tug him back. "What? Grandpa's up there, isn't… he?" Henry asked. But he then noticed that the railing of the stairs that he'd been reaching for was sizzling. Henry reached out and held his hand above the railing and could feel the heat radiating off of it. _More accidental magic. Lord, Grandpa Gold, you must be a mess._ Henry thought. Without grabbing the railing, Henry placed a foot on the stairs, and his ghost-Dad didn't stop him. The stairs were vibrating, Henry realized. Well, maybe not _vibrating_ , but definitely _shaking_ ever so slightly. Speeding up, slowing down, and stopping in the same irregular pattern as someone out of breath. _Or someone sobbing their eyes out,_ Henry thought.

Henry quickly pulled out his phone and texted his Mom (savior-mom, not Regina) where he was and that he'd found Gold. Then, he stuck it back in his pocket ascended the stairs. The closer to the top he got, he first heard it about a third of the way up, the more clearly he could hear it: the heartbreaking sound of his Grandpa crying. Henry reached the top of the stairs… and there he was.

The light from the setting sun was streaming through the big clock, making the whole room's lighting a tangerine hue. And right underneath the clock, sitting curled up with his knees drawn up close to his chest and his face buried in his knees, was Henry's grandfather, Rumpelstiltskin Robert Gold. His whole body was shaking, and he was sobbing into his knees, rocking himself with irregular breaths.

Henry had never seen his Grandpa like that. Henry had never wanted to see his Grandpa like that. And now, he never wanted to see his Grandpa like that _again_.

Henry tiptoed closer, and when he was close enough to touch, Henry made his presence known. "Grandpa?" Rumpelstiltskin immediately froze like a deer in the headlights. His hand came out-

"No! Grandpa, please don't disappear!" Henry exclaimed urgently. Rumpelstiltskin paused, and his face came out of his knees to look at Henry with red, blurry eyes and flushed cheeks. The second Henry was sure Mr. Gold wasn't going to disappear, Henry fell down onto his knees and threw his arms around his grandfather. "I'm so sorry, Grandpa! I'm so sorry." Henry said, his voice cracking. He could feel tears swelling up in his eyes.

"We didn't know! We didn't know, I swear it to you! If we'd known what she was doing to you, we would have done everything in our power to get you out! We knew she wasn't treating you well, but if we'd known what she did… what she forced you to do, we would have fought all the harder to set you free. I didn't even _remember_ you for most of the time, but once I did, I wanted you back, but I sat back and I did nothing, _nothing_. You _died_ for us, and we did _nothing_! I love you Grandpa, I love you so much!" Henry sobbed. Great, now he was crying.

The arm that had been out, ready to cast the teleportation spell, wrapped around Henry. Gold wrestled his other arm out from between the two of them and uncurled himself so that he, too was on his knees. Then, his grandpa pulled Henry into a tighter, warmer embrace, the dark one's nose buried in Henry's hair.

"Son of my son." Rumple murmured. "Henry, I'm sorry ye had to be born with the shame of being my grandson. The grandson of a dark one, a _monster_ , a cripple, and a _coward_. Ye deserve better than me."

Henry froze. Did Gold seriously think that?

"I'm sorry. But, I love you. I don't tell you that enough, ye little scamp. But I do."

"Grandpa, I'm not ashamed to be your grandson." Henry said firmly.

"Yer just sayin' that because ye don't want me to try to kill myself again."

"No! Well, I really, really, _really_ do _not_ want you to try that again, because I love you, but I'm serious. I don't ust love you, I _like_ you. Circumstances haven't let us act like family much, but I sure as heck am not ashamed of you, and neither is Belle." Henry said.

Rumple froze at the mention of his wife. "Ye already called them, didn't you? She and the others are on their way here." He said.

"Yeah, but don't disappear! If you do, we'll just keep chasing you around town. Surely, you know that." Henry said.

"Aye, but… I _really_ don't want to see Belle." He whimpered.

"You think you're filthy, don't you?" Henry asked. He was glad he'd listened to Huang. Gold hesitated, then nodded real slow.

"You feel dirty all the time? You're afraid that Belle won't like you anymore because you feel like you weren't faithful? Or like you're tainted and don't deserve her. Is that right?"

"How do you know that, Henry?" Gold asked.

"One of the members of SVU here is a psychiatrist. He talks to rape victims for a living. His name is Dr. George Huang. He's really nice, and one of the most patient people I have ever met." Henry said. "What can I say? Listen to smart people who know what they're talking about, and you learn a few things. So listen to me, _I know what I'm talking about._ Belle does not think that at all. You should have seen her when she found out. She looked like she'd stared death straight in the face."

"How'd she find out?" Gold asked.

"Uh…" Henry did not know how to answer this one, like, at all. How do you look at a man and tell him his dead son's ghost has been crusading around town, helping bring justice to you after his murderer raped you? One thing was for sure, Gold was too unstable right now to take that kind of news. This wasn't the time, nor the place. "It's a long story, but we're pretty sure it was an Angel." Henry said.

"An Angel? Why would an Angel want to help _me_?" His grandpa asked.

"God loves all his children. Even the ones that have made mistakes." Henry replied.

He was quiet for several moments. "What was Belle's reaction to… all of it?" Rumple asked.

"At first, she was in shock and didn't say or do much. She was like a puppet, just walking where Emma and Olivia led her as they took her down to the station. But I was there when she finally snapped out of it and exploded. It was scary. Seriously, remind me to never get on her bad side, because she's normally, well… _Belle_ , but she's _scary_ when she's mad. Firstly, she sent the SVU team and I out of the room, because she wasn't mad at us, then, she screamed at Emma, the Charmings, and pretty much everyone who knows for a full five minutes before she tired herself out and just started crying. After they showed her the actual evidence, she acted all numb again. But, I think Olivia had some sort of pep-talk with her or something, because she and Olivia had a conversation, and Belle snapped out of it again, and started doing everything she could do to help. She went home to talk to you, then I guess you panicked and bailed, because the next thing we knew, she was back at the hospital, freaking out. Sheesh, I actually sort of wish you were there to see what went down at the hospital." Henry shuddered, remembering the shouting match between Belle and Zelena.

"What happened at the hospital?" Gold asked.

"Well, let's just say Belle 'crossed paths' with Zelena, and tried to rip her throat out. I walked in on it just as Elliot grabbed her before she could do anything that would get her charged with assault. Belle screamed at her. I mean, If I thought she was scary at the station earlier, she was _really_ scary then. Belle screamed every foul thing and curse you could think of, she called Zelena a, and I'm quoting her here, so don't get mad at me for language. _'Maniacal, sadistic b***h.'_ She kept screaming at her, over and over, _'How could you?'_ Zelena is Zelena, so of course, she taunted her back, royally pissing her off even more, and Belle yelled at Zelena that it was your right to choose Regina over her to cast the curse, that it was your right to not fall in love with Zelena, and to fall in love with her. She said, quote unquote, _'Life isn't going to go your way at every turn, princess!'_ And called Zelena a rapist, repeatedly. Then, it really got ugly. Zelena called Belle a virgin, described to her the way she raped you, and called you _'pathetic'_."

Mr. Gold flinched at that and buried his head in his hands. Henry gave him a gentle smile, pulled his hands away, and made his grandpa look at him. "And do you know what Belle did?" Henry asked. "She screamed right back at Zelena to _'Shut up'_ , and told her not to talk about you that way. She called you _'her Rumple'_. She called Zelena _'Trash'_ and told her that she had no right to so much as speak your name, breathe the same air as you, or even exist. Nothing more happened after that, because Detective Elliot Stabler (you've met him, he met you at the front of your shop once) and Charming dragged Belle one direction, and Detectives Tutuola and Munch (you haven't met them yet, they're with SVU) dragged Zelena away in the other direction. Tell me, does that sound like she's disgusted with you?"

Rumple slowly shook his head. "I don't deserve her." Rumple said.

"Well, tough. She loves you, and she'd follow you to hell and back if she had to." Henry said.

The sun had gone completely down when Henry heard the distinct sound of the door opening. His Mom's voice called out, "Henry?" And the worried voice of Belle called up the stairs, "Rumple?" At the sound of her voice, Rumpelstiltskin curled up in a ball again, and started crying.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. It's okay. It's alright, Grandpa, don't cry." Henry said, rubbing his back soothingly. "She still loves you, I promise. I'm going down the stairs now, and she's going to come up and see you. She loves you so much. Just promise me this: promise me, you won't disappear." Henry said.

"I… I won't." Rumpelstiltskin sniffed. "And don't worry, d-dearie, you know I keep m-my p-promises." He sobbed.

"Shh, Grandpa, easy, easy. Just look at me, and take a deep breath." Henry inhaled slowly and deeply, then exhaled slowly. After two breaths, Rumple started copying him, and his crying slowed down considerably to an occasional sob and just a few tears.

Henry gave Rumple one last hug and planted a kiss on his forehead, then stood up, and walked over to the top of the stairs. "Belle, it's alright. He's up here. You can come up, now."

* * *

 **Belle Gold**

"Belle, it's alright. He's up here. You can come up, now." Henry's voice said from above. Belle gulped and ascended the stairs in seconds that felt like hours. She passed Henry and they paused, looking at each other, the looks on their faces portraying every emotion they felt.

Henry finally broke it off, and looked away. His eyes were getting watery with unfallen tears. He went down, and Belle went up. As she kept going up the stairs of the clocktower, Belle was reminded of the great heroes who saved damsels in distress from tall towers, going up and up and up countless steps to where their lovers were waiting for them to save them.

If anyone needed saving, it was Rumple. But… she certainly didn't feel like a hero right at that moment. She felt stupid, for not seeing this before, and terrible, for the fact that all this was happening in the first place. That Rumple had ever died in the first place, that Neal- or Bae had died, that Zelena had stolen her Rumple from her for an entire year, and that Zelena had raped and tortured Rumple the way all the evidence said she did. But most of all, she just didn't feel like a hero. Just a wife whose husband needed her.

Belle reached the top of the stairs to a pitiful sight, indeed. A mix of moonlight and streetlight was streaming through the big clock, making the whole room's lighting a sort of dim blue. And right underneath the clock, sitting curled up with his knees drawn up close to his chest and his face buried in his knees, was Rumple. His whole body was shaking. His breathing was irregular as if he was still trying to stop himself from crying.

Belle had never seen Rumple like that. Belle had never wanted to see Rumple like that. And now, she never wanted to see Rumple like that _again_. A small flame of anger ignited inside her, knowing good and well that the _witch_ responsible for this was just a few blocks away in a cell in the hospital basement.

But that could wait. Correction- it _had_ to wait. Rumple needed her right now. The anger was suddenly replaced by a sadness that was even worse than what she'd felt before. It was an awful, gut-wrenching feeling. Her vision got blurry as the tears started to form and in the next second, Belle could hold it back no longer.

"Oh, _Rumple_." At the sound of her voice, Rumple whimpered and his whole body went tense. He curled in on himself even further, as though trying to disappear. Belle could feel the self-loathing, humiliation, guilt, and fear rolling off of him in waves. Belle could feel her own heart breaking, seeing Rumple like this.

Belle cautiously knelt down and inched closer and closer to him until she was only a foot away, close enough to touch him. She reached a hand out, but then took it back. Did she scare him? Did any female touching him frighten him after what that woman had done to him? For once in her life, Belle did not know what to do.

"Oh _Rumple_." She said again. " _Please_. Please look at me. Please come out. Please come out and let me help you… Let me make it better, _please_."

"What are you doing here, Belle?" He asked quietly, his voice in that slightly higher tone it got in when he was sad and upset. He started to uncurl slowly, until he was sitting on his knees, but he was staring at the ground, refusing to look her in the eye. His hands still over his head.

"What do you mean _'what am I doing here'_? I'm here doing what I should have done from the start. I am taking care of my husband."

"You don't want me, Belle. You don't want someone like me. Someone who's done what I've done. I'm _filthy_. I _cheated_ on you, Belle. With _her_. I was unfaithful. We shouldn't have gotten married, because _I don't deserve you_."

"Oh Rumple, what did she _do_ to you?"

" _'What did she do to me?'_ Who cares? No one cares. No one should care. I deserved it. All of it. I was such a bad boy, my Papa abandoned me. I broke my own leg to run from a war I should have died in, I was such a terrible husband my first wife left me, I gave into weakness and murdered Zoso, I abandoned my son, I have lost count of the number of the people I've killed, the lives I've ruined, and the mistakes I made. I shoved you away and in the process condemned you to years as Regina's prisoner. I brought everyone to this wretched world with my curse, all I do is make mistake after mistake left and right, hurting everyone I care about as I go, and then I murdered my father and killed my son. _I killed my son._ My son…"

Rumple started crying again.

 _That was her game._ Zelena had convinced Rumple that every bad thing ever to happen to him or his loved ones was his fault, and reminded him only of the mistakes that were his fault. Not bothering to remind him that he had amended most of them. Belle felt a rush of cold air on her back, coming from the stairs, and though she couldn't see him, she knew Baelfire was there.

Belle tilted Rumple's chin up and made him look at her, and started stroking his face gently with her other hand. His brown eyes were blurry from the tears.

"Rumple, not all of that was your fault. And you've fixed all the mistakes that _were_ yours. You were never a bad kid, your father was a _scumbag_ who traded his own son for youth. You broke your leg to leave the war, but to make sure your son didn't have to grow up without a papa like you did. And he never minded being your son, in fact, he was proud of it. Milah was the unfaithful one, she never listened to you and she was a b***h. She left a good man and her own son to run off with… _Hook_ of all people." She earned a tiny sliver of a smile for that, jokes at Hook's expense would always work on Rumple.

"Zoso _wanted_ you to kill him, Rumple, he was just tired of living. He was going to mentally torture you until you did. And I'm so glad you became the dark one because if you hadn't, I never would have met you so I could fall so helplessly in love with you.

"You didn't abandon your son, it was an accident. And Rumple, _you're a dark one_. That inner darkness that makes you do things isn't your fault. You can't help it. And by the time all that happened to you, you were so convinced no one could ever love you, that it's no wonder you shoved me away when someone did. I _never_ held anything against you for that.

"And this curse… has actually been a good thing for a lot of people. Henry was born because of it, you found your son, Regina found her inner light, and so many more good things. You murdered your father because he was about to murder all of us, giving your life in the process. You sacrificed yourself for us.

"And as for you _'killing your son'_ , that is the biggest pile of bullshit I have ever heard. Bae made a choice to bring you back because he loved you so much it hurt. We had no way of knowing the consequences and you had no way of warning us. It was inevitable once it was done, _it wasn't your fault_. Zelena killed Bae with her deception. It was _her_ , not you. Never forget that, Rumple. Your son sacrificed himself for you because he forgave you and he loved you."

"I cheated on you, Belle. You don't know all the things she did to me, all the things she made me do to her. I couldn't- I couldn't stop her. I begged for her to stop like a whimpering pup. I'm such a coward, so freaking _useless_. So _filthy_. _Tainted_. I'm so sorry, Belle." Rumple said.

"No. You didn't cheat on me, you were-... she-... you were _raped_ , Rumple. And you're definitely not a coward, and you're not dirty or useless or filthy or tainted. She had the dagger, there was nothing you could do to stop her. _She_ was the one that was wrong. I don't care about that, if anyone is sorry, it's me. If one of us doesn't deserve the other, _I don't deserve you_." Rumple looked up at her sharply, and Belle felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She took her hands off of him and stared at them in her lap.

"I should have seen there was something wrong with you, I… I suspected there was something you weren't telling me, but I was selfish. I wanted to believe there was nothing wrong, because I love you so much. I didn't _want_ you to be in pain. I wanted a life with you, a _normal_ life with you, as soon as I could. I even… I even thought that maybe you were losing interest in me. That maybe you just didn't like me anymor-"

Belle was cut off when Rumple grabbed her by both of her arms, pulled her towards him, and kissed her. Belle felt her eyes widen, it had caught her completely off guard, but after a moment, she closed her eyes, melted into his embrace, and let his warm lips plunder her mouth. He bit her bottom lip gently, requesting access, and she gasped, letting his tongue slip inside her mouth, gently tracing along her upper lip. She could feel the wet from his tears on his cheeks. He moved one hand from her arm to her waist, pulling her even closer. It was a little-known fact that Rumpelstiltskin Robert Gold was a good kisser. A _very_ good kisser. It was so little-known, of course, because she could count on one hand the number of women he'd kissed that were still _alive_ to know the fact. It'd been a while since he's kissed her like that. She'd _missed_ it. She'd missed _him_. After a few sweet seconds, he pulled away, and bowed his head lower to plant one slow, gentle, loving kiss on the side of her neck, then rest his forehead on her shoulder.

"Please don't think that, my Belle. Never think that. My life belongs to you. I'd give it up for you again if I had to. You're my North Star, Belle. You're a goddess and I worship you. If I lived another thousand years, I could never write enough poetry about how much I love you. You're one of my last treasures, and my most precious one. If I lost you, I'd shatter. All I want in this whole universe is to stay with you, _forever_."

Belle smiled and hugged his body closer to her, running her fingers soothingly through his hair. "And all I want is to forever be with you."

"It's just… I'm so scared, Belle. I'm always afraid, now. I can't stand the dark, because she'd lock me up in that horrible, pitch-black cellar for hours, days, _weeks_ , someti- _most of the time_ after she'd beaten me, tortured me, or forced herself on me. It was so cold, and I was always starving. I would have starved so many times if not for my immortality. And I wanted nothing more than to be home. In my castle in the snowy mountains of the Enchanted Forest, or in our house, I didn't care. I just wanted to be _home_ , safe in your arms. And now that I am, the _fear_ just won't leave! I jump whenever someone touches me, because my first instinct is that it's her! I sleep with the lights on, because I'm so scared that when I wake up, I'll still be in that horrible place!"

"It hurts me so much Rumple, it's excruciating to know you're in so much pain. To know what she did to you. And what she's _still_ doing to you." Belle said. She took one of his arms in her hand, and lifted up the sleeve, displaying the marks where he'd cut himself.

Rumple looked away in shame. Belle smiled at him. Then, she started at his wrists. Rumple looked up as she started planting slow, gentle, _loving_ kisses on each of the ugly marks that extended from his wrist to his mid-forearm. Willing them to go away. Willing the pain to stop. Once she was sure she'd left a kiss on each one at least twice, she stopped, and put the palm of Rumple's hand on her cheek. "My Rumple." She said softly.

Seizing the opportunity, Rumple moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her head and pulled her into yet another amazing, _wonderful_ kiss that made her heart soar. After a moment, he pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.

"I'm sorry too, Belle. I haven't even been sleeping in the same bed with you, now that we're being honest with each other. I go to the couch as soon as you're asleep, then wake up before you to get up to back in bed so you won't know. Earlier today, when I awoke from that nap, with you in my arms, I'd never been more terrified in my life. I was so afraid, that if I slept with you, some night terror in my sleep would… if something with my magic went wrong…"

Tears brimmed in his eyes again, she could feel the wet on her shoulder, his grip tightened on her arms to the point it was border-lining painful.

"One out-of-control spell. dearie, that would be it. If I killed you, it would kill _me_!"

She lifted Rumple off of her, but still held him close, making him look at her with blurry brown eyes. His grip loosened. "Oh _Rumple_ , why didn't you tell someone? If you had gone to Archie, he would have kept your secret. He would have talked to you, _helped_ you." Belle said.

"But there's always a chance, dearie. Always a chance the cricket would think _'justice needed to be done'_ or something along those lines. Then off to Emma he'd go. I tried to keep it all secret because…" He sniffed. "She got in my head, Belle. She made me lose faith in the one thing I had most faith in: You. She had me convinced that if I told you everything… you'd be so disgusted, you'd leave me."

To prove a point, she hugged him tighter and buried her fingers in his hair, as though to say, _never_. Rumple put his forehead back on her shoulder. Then after a few moments, she spoke in his ear.

"Rumple, do you remember what you said when we struck our first deal?" Belle asked.

Rumple said nothing.

"You said it was forever. And do you remember what I said?"

Rumple said nothing.

"I said I would go with you forever. And I meant it." She said softly. "I _will_ go with you forever. I _will_ be with you forever."

He let out a small sob, but she could tell it was from joy. His nose nuzzled her neck, his head rested on her shoulder. He was close enough that she could feel his heart, his beautiful, beautiful heart that she'd stolen, beating inside him. Never had Belle heard a more beautiful sound. _You're alive. You're safe. You're with me. I'm going to get you through this, I'll carry you if I have to. And I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again._ Belle vowed silently.

"Rumpelstiltskin... This thing we have has never been easy. I've lost you so many times. To darkness, to weakness, and finally, to death. But I have not spent my life losing you, I have spent my life _finding_ you. You think you're flawed: we all are. And I love you for it. Sometimes the best book has the dustiest jacket, and sometimes… the best teacup, is chipped." Belle said, quoting their wedding vows.

Rumple choked back a sob. Definitely from a mix of sadness and joy.

"I swore a vow to love and cherish you, Rumple. In sickness and in health. _Forever_. What kind of wife would I be if I left you when you needed me most? I love you, Rumpelstiltskin."

Rumple's shoulders started shaking. At first, Belle thought he'd started crying again, but after a moment, she realized he was _laughing_. He was laughing quietly, tears streaming down his cheeks, and a small smile on his face.

"You… are so beautiful. I love you, Belle. I can't say it enough. I love you. I freaking _love you._ What did I ever do to deserve you? _I love you!_ … I owe more to you than I can ever say. How you can see the man behind the monster, I will never know." He sobbed.

Belle just held him there for the longest time. Both of them crying. After a few minutes, Rumpelstiltskin's sobs slowed to a complete halt. He shuddered, then, for the first time in forever, he smiled… And it was real… And it was beautiful.

* * *

 **Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold**

She was an angel. His Belle was an angel. Surely, that was the only possible explanation. She didn't hate him. She wasn't disgusted at him. She didn't think he was filthy, or tainted, or useless, or a coward. She wasn't even repulsed by his marks, his ugly marks that he'd put on himself in desperation for some form of control.

 _"I'm so glad you became the dark one because if you hadn't, I never would have met you so I could fall so helplessly in love with you."_

 _Me too, Belle. Me, too._ Rumple thought.

 _"She had the dagger, there was nothing you could have done to stop her. She was wrong, not you."_

 _She's right. As usual, she's right. I know she is._

Once the two of them finally got a grip, Belle stood up first, and held out her hand for him to take. Giving her yet another small smile (a _real_ smile, he hadn't thought he'd ever put on a _real_ smile again), Rumple grabbed her hand gently in his, an let her help him to his feet. Once he was standing on two legs, he didn't let Belle go, rather, much to Belle's surprise, he pulled her towards him straight into a hug. He held her close and tight, resting his head on top of hers. Her arms wrapped around him, her head rested on his chest.

"My Rumple." She murmured. "Always my Rumple."

Rumple's heart soared. He almost started crying again. _I'm her Rumple. Despite… everything, I'm still her Rumple, and I always will be._

She pulled away from him, but still didn't let go of his hand. She led him to the top of the stairs, and _together_ , the two of them started down. Belle placed a hand on the railing before Rumple could warn her about the heat!...

But nothing happened. Her hand slid along the smooth metal with no cry of pain at all. It was then that Rumple realized that his magic was back. He could feel it prickling at his fingertips, waiting for a command. He was in control, again. Serving one of her many purposes in his life once again, Belle was his rock, his anchor that he clung to in times where he just needed _someone_. And like she always did, she'd brought him back to the light, returned the smile to his face, and now, she'd helped him return the balance to his soul.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rumple felt like he was floating. Like there was a great weight that had been lifted from his shoulders, and now, finally, he was free. At the bottom of the stairs, five people were waiting for them. The first was Henry, who immediately rushed over to him to hug him. Rumple returned the hug with just as much love. "I'm glad you're back, Grandpa." Henry said. "I think the worst is behind us." He said.

"I think so too, Henry." Rumple said. And he meant it. He really did.

Emma was standing a little ways off, looking like she wanted to do or say something, but wasn't sure what. Rumple released Henry, and immediately (much to her surprise) went over to Emma to give her a hug. Not just a little one, but a big one. He wrapped his arms all the way around her. She stiffened at first, then returned it. After a moment, Rumple released her, looked her straight in the eye, and said, "Thank you, Miss Swan, for caring enough to speak up. Even when I didn't want you to."

Staring at him in shock, Emma sputtered, "D-don't mention it."

The next person was Olivia Benson, keeping a respectable distance with a small smile on her face. Rumple walked up to her and gave her a one-arm hug around the shoulder. A full one would have just been weird, as she was almost a total stranger. Once he was satisfied with it, Rumple took a step back and said, "Detective Olivia… Benson, right?"

Olivia nodded.

Rumple took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, for saving my life."

Olivia smiled and shrugged. "It's my job." She said.

The last two were Archie, and a Japanese man he didn't know. Rumple nodded at them to acknowledge them. "Crick- _Archie_ , and…?"

"Huang. I'm Dr. George Huang, Special Victims' psychiatrist and criminal profiler." Dr. Huang said, introducing himself. The two men shook hands.

"I have a feeling we're going to get to know each other _pretty well,_ Dr. Huang. If anyone needs therapy, it's me." Rumple said sheepishly.

"And that's nothing to be ashamed of." Huang assured him.

Emma explained that everyone else had returned to the station when word was out that they'd found him, because Huang had thought that a crowd would scare him. Rumple was pretty sure he was right. After that, everyone went outside.

Rumple inhaled the cold Storybrooke air, enjoying the feeling of the cold rushing through his nostrils, into his lungs. He exhaled, and took a moment to admire the way the cloud of fog curled as the warm air left his body. He looked up, and there was a crescent moon. Now that he was taking a moment to look at it, it looked a bit like a cheshire cat, grinning at him. Rumple smiled right back. The stars… twinkling bright. They were beautiful again, too.

 _How foolish I was,_ Rumple thought, _that I would have left all this behind. There's still too much to see and do, even for me._

Rumple felt a tug on his jacket. He looked down to see Henry looking at him. "Do you remember when I said an Angel's been helping you?" He asked.

"Yes, I do. Why?" Rumple asked. Henry said nothing, he just pointed. Rumple looked, and gasped. His heart stopped.

There, standing across the street, was his son. His precious boy. His Bae. He was wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing when he died, his hands were in his pockets, and there was a small smile on his face. Rumple stared. Bae cocked his head at him.

"Where'd your smile go, Papa?" Bae asked. "It was there a second ago."

Rumple finally let go of the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, a smile appeared on his face, and a tear of joy fell down his cheek.

Bae's smile grew wider.

"There it is! There's that smile." He said, pointing at Rumple with a small laugh. "Have I ever told you how happy it made me when I saw you happy?" Bae asked. "If I haven't, it's true. Your smile is contagious, Papa. You should do it more often."

"Bae…" Rumple said in awe.

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry though, I'm still dead." Now that Bae mentioned it, Rumple noticed he wasn't all there, he was translucent. Rumple could see right through him and make out the shape of the building behind him.

"Bae…" Rumple said again. "I love you, son. I miss you so much!" He said.

Baelfire smiled. "I love you, too, Papa. You know that? I love you. And no matter what, I want you to always remember how _wonderful_ you are. No matter what people like her try to make you think, you're smart, and strong, kind, brave, and everything else a boy could ever love his Papa for."

Bae's image began to disappear, his body dissolving into beautiful silver particles of light that drifted around his son.

"Bae, please don't go! I love you so much! I want you here, with me!" Rumple said, taking a few steps forward.

"I know you do, Papa. But I'm dead. I can't let you see me all the time. It takes a lot of energy to be visible. But, I'm your Guardian Angel now, Papa. No matter where you go, even if you can't see me, I'll always be by your side. And when you need me, whether you know it or not, I'll be there."

"Bae…" Rumple just knew his son spoke the truth. He wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled. "I love you, son. Never forget that."

Bae smiled right back. "I won't. I love you, Papa. Remember, I'll always be with you." Bae said, before he disappeared entirely. The glowing silver particles floated through the air and streamed towards him. They twirled and danced around and over his body several times. Everyone else backed up, watching in awe. Rumple spread his arms out and watched them swirl around him.

Rumple felt a prickling sensation on his forearms. He looked down and rolled up the sleeves, to see many of the particles disappearing into his marks, and the cuts healing over entirely, like they had never been there.

"I love you, Papa." Bae's voice said in his ear. Still around him, the particles faded and disappeared completely. But Rumple could still feel the presence of his son there. Yet another tear slid down his cheek. Not of sadness, of joy. "I love you too, Bae." He said quietly.

Belle wrapped her arms around him and Rumple returned the hug. Henry had definitely been right. The worst was behind him. Belle buried her face in his jacket. "I love you." She said.

"I love you," Rumpelstiltskin said, " _f_ _orever._ "

* * *

 _To the same people I left a note to at the end of the last chapter,_

 _This is a note for the sad, the depressed, and all others who are suffering in their lives. Didn't I tell you? **Someone** loves you! Things are never as bad as they seem. Speak up, get help, and I guarantee it, **someone** will care enough about you to listen! And if you think no one cares about you, _**_I_** _care about you! You're beautiful and wonderful and smart and special! There's only one you! There will only ever be one you! Isn't that amazing? There will never be another you! There are millions of diamonds in this world, and all of them are the same. But there will only ever be one YOU! That makes you thousands of times more valuable than diamonds! You're a **jewel**! A rare treasure to be admired and adorned! And don't let anyone tell you otherwise! As bad as things seem, look to the light, and the world will get brighter!  
_ _To those of us who see the sad, the depressed, and all others who are suffering in their lives, SPEAK UP! You could be the deciding factor in someone's life! One smile, one act of kindness, can make someone's day! Be kind to others, because for all you know, you are the only person who is going to show them any sort of love, today! Unite this world under the banner of hope, love, tolerance, and compassion, not fear, hate, prejudice, and selfishness! It's a huge thing, but it starts with you, it starts with me, it starts with all of us!_ _Smile, today! Make the world brighter! Teach someone something! Make the world smarter! Show someone kindness! Do everything you can to make this world we live in a better place!_

 _And now, I would like to dedicate this chapter to the victims' of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and their friends and families, which occurred last week in Parkland Florida, claiming the lives of seventeen innocent people. Students **Alyssa Alhadeff** , **Martin Dunque Anguiano** , **Nicholas Dworet** , **Jaime Guttenberg** , **Luke Hoyer** , **Cara Loughran** , **Gina Montalto** , **Joaquin Oliver** , **Alaina Petty** , **Meadow Pollack** , **Helena Ramsay** , **Alex Schachter** , **Carmen Schentrup** , and **Peter Wang**. All of them were the light of someone's lives, and all of them were around my own age. The world will not be the same without them in it. The same goes for the adults. Geography teacher **Scott Beigel** , who died outside of his classroom while ushering students inside and out of harms way. Assistant football coach **Aaron Feis** , who was killed when he heroically threw himself in front of students to protect them from oncoming bullets. And finally, athletic director and wrestling coach **Chris Hixon** , who left a wife and children behind and always opened his home and heart to his community. These three men died heroes, and will never be forgotten. _

_Please tell me what you thought of the chapter! Likes? Dislikes? Corrections? Improvements? Your opinions? I wanna hear em!_

 _Till next time,_

 _-alphashley14_


	8. IT'S BEEN ADOPTED

**Hey, guys! Sorry it's been so long! And I'm also sorry that this isn't an update. I am sad to inform you all that I will no longer be writing this story.**

 **BUT, it has been adopted!**

 **I am entrusting it to a great writer on this site who read this** **story** **right alongside all of you. In fact, I think she's one of the best on this site! I'm not sure when, but Snapegirlkmf will soon be uploading an adopted version of this story onto the site through her account. She's a great writer and I'm sure you guys will love whatever she does with it!**

 **I'm sorry that I will no longer be writing this. I'm caught up writing an original story of mine and I am having trouble proceeding this story any further. I apologize.**

 **Snapegirlkmf is going to do a great job!**

 **Farewell!**

 **-alphashley14**


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